Keshi yena is an
Aruban and
Curaçaoan
main course dish, consisting of a large round ball of cheese stuffed with spiced meat (often chicken), served
steamed
Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American southwest, steam pits used for cooking hav ...
or
baked
Baking is a method of preparing food that uses dry heat, typically in an oven, but can also be done in hot ashes, or on hot stones. The most common baked item is bread but many other types of foods can be baked. Heat is gradually transferre ...
.
The dish is believed to have originated from
Dutch Empire slaves of the
Dutch West Indies
The Dutch Caribbean (historically known as the Dutch West Indies) are the territories, colonies, and countries, former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea. They are in the north and south-wes ...
stuffing leftover rinds of
Gouda or
Edam cheeses with meat table scraps.
The name "keshi" is reported to be the
Papiamento language rendering of ''kaas'', "cheese" in
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
.
Modern ''keshi yena'' recipes typically include olives, raisins and chicken as ingredients in the stuffing.
While some modern cooks prepare keshi yena in
ramekin
A ramekin (, ; also spelled ramequin) is a small dish used for culinary purposes.
Name
The term is derived from the French ', a cheese- or meat-based bowl baked in a small mould. The French term is in turn derived from early modern Dutch ', whi ...
s, others stick to the traditional method of baking the dish in an empty can of sausages, or by wrapping the cheese in
plantain leaves.
References
Cheese dishes
Caribbean cuisine
Steamed foods
National dishes
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