Chiloé's cuisine is one of the most distinctive in Chile. The two things you must eat are curanto and the native potato varieties. Curanto — shellfish, pork, and milcao potato dumplings slow-cooked under hot stones — is available in restaurants throughout Castro and Ancud; the market restaurants in Castro are reliable and affordable. The potato is a different matter: over 400 native varieties of potato originated in Chiloé, in colours from white and yellow to purple and red, and the best places to try them are at Saturday markets and traditional restaurants that source locally.
Seafood is central to every meal: mussels (mejillones), clams (almejas), abalone (loco), and sea urchin (erizo) appear on every menu. The smoked shellfish sold in tins at the market are excellent souvenirs for food-loving friends. Chiloé's own chicha (fermented fruit liquor) and a local craft beer scene have both grown in recent years.