A curanto is a food that is cooked underground. The ingredients are prepared to be cooked and then buried. It is a meal that takes a long time to prepare.

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Its origin must be rooted in the need to cook food in a difficult climate such as the Patagonian, in places where sometimes firewood is not abundant and it usually rains, snows and blows a lot of wind.

The original inhabitants (Mapuches) of the region, then, devised a system whereby heat is underground, and food too!

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The way of cooking is to dig a hole in the ground, put stones in the bottom, embers and more stones, on these you put Nalca leaves, Maqui or another plant and just then the food, finally on the food you put more Nalca leaves, Maqui or another plant in the region, burlap bags or other insulation, more stones and dirt. This produces a natural "oven", where the heat is preserved and enhanced.

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