[2] Causa is best described as a sort of mini casserole, with the top and bottom consisting of yellow potato and the filling typically of any white meat.

[4] During the Viceroyalty era, between the 16th and 19th centuries, lemon (originally from Asia)[2] was added, reaching the modern form, in both the ingredients and the presentation.

In some versions of the story, it's said that causa was first prepared during the colonial period, with the Spanish knowing it as "kausay".

"[9] Even though this clearly Limean dish exists since the Viceroyalty, it didn't have a specific name; it was with the arrival of the libertador José de San Martín that, in order to solve the expenses of the military campaign, this dish was sold in the corners of the Limean streets, as a way to contribute to the cause (por la causa in Spanish, "for the cause").

The preparation admits many variants, like the causa filled with tuna, trout,[14] chicken, shellfish or other white meat.