The whole feast is cooked in a pit dug into the ground and sealed with nalca (giant rhubarb) leaves and sod, trapping steam from hot stones for hours — a method that predates the Spanish arrival in Chiloé.
Shellfish, chicken, pork, sausage, and potato dumplings are layered over red-hot stones in an earth pit, covered with leaves, and left to steam for hours. Market versions ('curanto en olla') simmer the same ingredients in a giant pot for street and market sale.