The Keshi Yena dish is a Curaçaoan (and Aruban) dish. This dish was born on the island of Curacao in the time of slavery in the 17th and 18th century.
It’s a typical example of a local dish, whose name in Papiamento literally means "stuffed cheese".
This is one of the most meaningful dishes on Curacao with leftovers from expensive products like Dutch Edam or Gouda cheese from the rich landlords. The slaves filled the shell of a scooped-out cheese with table scraps like chicken, olives and raisons.
You can actually fill the cheese with whatever you please; your favorite veggies or with leftovers if you are striving not to waste food. Create your own version of the Keshi Yena, or make one with scraps, like back in the days, to make it a Sustainable Dish.
The Keshi Yena is Avila’s most famous dish for decades. It is on the menu since the opening of our Belle Terrace restaurant in the fifties (now Restaurant The Pen).