Keshi Yena
Curaçao's national dish — a whole hollowed wheel of Dutch Edam or Gouda cheese stuffed with spiced meat — believed to have originated in the 17th century, when Curaçao was a hub of the Dutch West India Company's Atlantic slave trade, and enslaved Africans repurposed the imported cheese rinds discarded after their contents were used, stuffing the shells with meat scraps. The name comes from Papiamento: keshi (cheese) and yena (filled). The genuine authenticity marker is the sweet-savory combination of raisins and olives together in the filling — leave either out and it's not the real thing.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Egg, Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1 whole wax-coated Edam or Gouda cheese (about 1.5 kg)
- 600g ground or shredded chicken (or beef)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
Steps
- Carefully hollow out the cheese, reserving the shell and a lid piece; soak the shell briefly in water to reduce saltiness.
- Sauté the onion, pepper, tomato, and garlic, then brown the meat with them.
- Stir in the raisins, olives, capers, Worcestershire sauce, and cumin.
- Bind the mixture with the egg and breadcrumbs.
- Stuff the filling into the hollowed cheese shell, top with the reserved cheese lid, and bake or steam until the cheese is soft and the filling is set, about 45-60 minutes.