Traditional Cooking
Authentic Curaçao Recipes
Cook the real Curaçao at home — from the signature dish keshi yena to crispy pastechi and festive ayaka.
Traditional Curaçaoan cuisine
Curaçaoan cuisine is a distinctive blend of African, Dutch, Caribbean, and South American influences, with additional flavors shaped by the island's historic ties to Indonesia and other parts of the former Dutch empire. If you're wondering what to eat in Curaçao, the answer starts with keshi yena, the island's signature dish: an Edam cheese shell stuffed with spiced meat, raisins, olives, and other savory-sweet ingredients, then baked until soft and richly flavored.
Read more about Curaçaoan food
Everyday favorites include stobá (slow-cooked stew), funchi (cornmeal polenta), pastechi (fried stuffed pastries found at bakeries, supermarkets, and roadside snack bars), and bitterballen (Dutch-style beef croquettes commonly served as a snack). Two traditional Curaçaoan soups reflect the island's culinary heritage: yambo, a thick okra soup with African roots, often prepared with meat or seafood, and kadushi, a cactus soup made from the island's columnar candle cactus. For dessert, try bolo pretu — a dense, rum-soaked black fruit cake associated with weddings, Christmas, and other celebrations — or quesillo, a silky caramel custard with Venezuelan roots.
Christmas in Curaçao brings one of the island's best-known holiday traditions: ayaka, meat-filled cornmeal parcels wrapped in banana or plantain leaves, adapted from the Venezuelan hallaca. Breakfast favorites include arepa di pampuna, sweet pumpkin pancakes, while ponche crema, a rich rum-spiked drink traditionally served chilled, is another seasonal favorite. Each recipe below includes step-by-step instructions, full ingredient lists, and cooking times so you can bring the flavors of Curaçao into your own kitchen.
12 recipes
Main CourseKeshi Yena (Stuffed Cheese)
Curaçao's signature dish — an Edam cheese shell stuffed with spiced meat, raisins, olives, and other savory-sweet ingredients, then baked until soft and richly flavored.
Main CourseStobá (Curaçaoan Beef Stew)
A rich, slow-cooked beef stew with tender meat, vegetables, and warm spices — a comfort food staple in every Curaçaoan household.
Side DishFunchi (Curaçaoan Cornmeal Polenta)
Smooth, creamy cornmeal polenta — the essential side dish that accompanies almost every Curaçaoan meal.
SnackArepa di Pampuna (Pumpkin Pancakes)
Sweet, fluffy pancakes made with pumpkin — a beloved Curaçaoan breakfast and snack, crispy on the outside and tender inside.
SnackPastechi (Curaçaoan Fried Pastries)
Crispy half-moon pastries filled with cheese, meat, or chicken — the ultimate Curaçaoan street food and breakfast staple.
Main CourseAyaka (Curaçaoan Christmas Tamales)
Festive meat-filled parcels wrapped in banana leaves — a Curaçaoan Christmas tradition rooted in Venezuelan hallaca.
Main CourseYambo (Giambo) — Okra Soup
A thick, dark-green okra soup loaded with meat, fish, and shrimp — Curaçao's answer to gumbo, traditionally eaten with a slice of funchi.
Main CourseKadushi (Cactus Soup)
A hearty, slightly slippery soup made from the island's native candle cactus, simmered with salted meat and shrimp — an old dish born from necessity and still a local favorite.
SnackBitterballen (Fried Beef Croquette Bites)
Crispy, deep-fried balls with a creamy, savory beef ragout center — a Dutch import that became a fixture of bar snacks and parties across Curaçao.
DessertBolo Pretu (Curaçaoan Black Fruit Cake)
A dense, dark, rum-soaked fruit cake studded with candied fruit and almonds — a traditional favorite at Curaçaoan weddings, christenings, and Christmas tables.
DessertQuesillo (Curaçaoan Flan)
A silky caramel custard, denser and eggier than French crème caramel — a holiday and Sunday-dinner dessert with roots across the Venezuelan-influenced Caribbean.
DrinkPonche Crema (Curaçaoan Holiday Eggnog)
A rich, rum-spiked custard drink served chilled at Christmas and special occasions — Curaçao's take on a Venezuelan classic.