Milcao

Milcaos fritos
Alternative names	Melcao, Milcado
Course	Main course,side dish
Place of origin	Chile
Region or state	Chiloé Archipelago
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Potatoes of Chiloé,lard,salt andvegetable oil.
Variations	Baemes
Media: Milcao

Milcao ormelcao (sometimeshypercorrected tomilcado) is a traditionalpotato pancake dish originating from theChiloé Archipelago in Chile. The dish is prepared with raw grated potatoes and cooked mashed potatoes mixed with other ingredients. It forms an important part of the Chiloé dishescuranto^[1] andreitimiento, and is mentioned frequently in folklore as part ofChilote songs and riddles. The dish spread to the south of Chile andArgentina with the migration of many Chilote families toPatagonia during the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.^[2]

The most important ingredient isChilotan potatoes, several different varieties of which are used to prepare milcao. Half the potatoes are cooked and mashed and the other half are grated, sometimes using the traditional Chilote tool of a volcanicpumice stone.

One of two methods may then be employed. The most common method producesmilcaos colados, strained milcaos, sometimes pronounced as the rhymingmilcaos colaos with a silent “d”, as is common inChilean Spanish. Here, the grated potatoes are strained to extract most of the water by folding in a dish cloth or pressing in a sieve or against a hard surface.

Alternatively, the grated potato can be folded directly into the mash, to producemilcaos rallados (“grated milcaos”).

In the straining method, the juice from the strained potatoes is saved and decanted to producechuño, a kind ofpotato starch. The chuño can then later be used to makemilcao de chuño, milcaos made with a base of potato starch.^[3]

The strained or grated potatoes are kneaded into the cooked potatoes andseasoning andlard are added to form adough. This is then shaped and pressed by hand into flat, round pancakes. The pancakes can be cooked in the oven, fried or (traditionally) baked and eaten with thecuranto.^[2]

Most milcaos aresavory, withchicharrones (pieces of fried pork meat and fat) commonly added before cooking. However, there are a number of sweet or neutral variations.

• Milcao al horno o frito (oven-baked or fried milcaos): The most common methods of preparing milcaos. They may containchicharron, which is either mixed in with the dough or stuffed into the pancakes like apie. They have a reddish-brown crust and a pale center.
• Milcaos de curanto (curanto milcaos): The traditional Chilote method of steaming the pancakes in an upper layer of the curanto, spread withhazel andnalca branches. Cooked in this way, the milcaos gain a dark crust and retain an essence of the leaves in their flavor. This preparation method is less common because of the complexity of preparing acuranto.^[4]
• Milcados pelados (peeled milcaos) orBaemes: Milcaos that are boiled and eaten sweetened with honey or sugar.
• Milcaos chuño (potato starch milcaos): Instead of using grated potatoes, driedpotato starch from previous preparations is used to make the milcaos. They are fried and have a golden crust and a pale center. If they are boiled they can also be eaten sweetened, like themilcaos pelados.

• Potatoes orChilote potatoes
• Lard
• Salt
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Chicharrones

• Chilean cuisine
• Latin American cuisine
• Pancakes
• Potato dishes

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