Cazuela facts for kids
An Ecuadorian cazuela
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| Type | Soup |
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| Main ingredients | Stock (meats and vegetables) |
Cazuela is a popular type of dish or stew, especially in South America. It gets its name from the Spanish word cazuela, which means "cooking pot." Traditionally, this pot is often shallow and made of special earthenware (a type of clay).
The ingredients and how it's made can be different from place to place. But usually, a cazuela is a thick, flavorful broth. This broth is made by cooking different kinds of meats and vegetables together.
Chilean Cazuela
Cazuela is a very common and traditional dish in Chile. The most popular kinds are made with chicken or beef. But you can also find cazuelas made with pork, lamb, or turkey.
In Chile, the ingredients for cazuela are often cooked separately. Then, they are brought together when it's time to serve the dish. A typical Chilean cazuela starts by boiling meat (like beef or chicken) with chopped onions and carrots. Other ingredients are boiled in different pots. The broth from the vegetables is added to the meat broth.
When served, a Chilean cazuela usually includes a piece of squash (called zapallo camote), a large potato, green beans, cooked rice, and a piece of sweetcorn. It's often topped with fresh coriander, parsley, or a bit of mild chili.
People usually eat the liquid broth first. Then, they eat the meat and larger vegetables like potatoes or squash. Sometimes, people cut up the meat and vegetables into the broth and eat everything at once. Leftovers are often chopped up and made into another stew called Carbonada. The Chilean cazuela has old roots from a Mapuche broth called "korrü."
Peruvian Cazuela
Cazuela is also a traditional dish in the Amazonas Region of Peru. How it's made can be a bit different in each town or area of Amazonas.
In Chachapoyas, for example, cazuela is made by boiling pieces of hen, meat, and sheep. Then, wild cabbage, rice, carrot, sweetcorn kernels, and a glass of white wine are added.
A few minutes before the dish is ready, some milk and thin vermicelli noodles are added. The goal is to make sure the cazuela has enough broth or juice to be served like a soup.
Puerto Rican Cazuela
In Puerto Rico, cazuela is a special kind of traditional pie. It doesn't have a top crust and is usually cooked in banana leaves. This pie is often made during the Christmas season.
It's similar to a pumpkin pie but uses different main ingredients. These include batata (a type of sweet potato), calabasa (a Caribbean squash), raisins, ginger, and spices. It also has coconut milk, eggs, butter, and either bread, flour, or rice flour. Some recipes might also add sweet plantain, taro, or yuca with baking powder and lard.
Other Regional Variations
In southern Arizona, cazuela is often made with carne seca or machaca. These are two kinds of dried beef. Other ingredients usually include potatoes, garlic, green chiles, and different herbs.
See also
In Spanish: Cazuela (comida) para niños
