Culinary traditions of Ecuador
Ecuadorian
ceviche
, made of
shrimp
,
lemon
, onions,
tomatoes
and some herbs.
A bowl of
fanesca
served in
Quito
, Ecuador. A traditional soup of Ecuador served around
Easter
.
Llapingachos
and
chorizo
Ecuadorian cuisine
is diverse, varying with altitude and associated agricultural conditions. Ecuadorian cuisine is an amalgamation of
Spanish
,
Andean
, and
Amazonian
cuisines and to a lesser degree
Italian
,
Lebanese
,
African
, and
Chinese
.
Beef
,
chicken
, and
seafood
are popular in the coastal regions, especially
ceviche
,
[1]
and are typically served with carbohydrate-rich foods, such as
rice
accompanied with
lentils
,
pasta
, or
plantain
. In the mountainous regions
pork
, chicken, beef and
cuy
(
guinea pig
) are popular and are often served with rice,
maize
, or
potatoes
. A popular
street food
in mountainous regions is
hornado
, consisting of potatoes served with roasted pig. Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine in general include
patacones
(green
plantain
slices fried in
oil
, mashed up, and then refried),
llapingachos
(a pan-seared potato ball), and
seco de chivo
(a type of stew made from
goat
). A wide variety of fresh fruit is available, particularly at lower altitudes, including
granadilla
,
passionfruit
,
naranjilla
, several types of
banana
,
uvilla
,
taxo
, and
tree tomato
.
The food is somewhat different in the southern mountainous areas, featuring typical
Loja
food such as
repe
, a soup prepared with green bananas;
cecina
, roasted pork; and
miel con quesillo
, or "
cuajada
", as dessert. In the
rainforest
, a dietary staple is the
yuca
, elsewhere called
cassava
. The starchy root is peeled and boiled, fried, or used in a variety of other dishes. Across the nation it is also used as a bread,
pan de yuca
, which is analogous to the Brazilian
pao de queijo
and often consumed alongside different types of drinkable
yogurt
. Many fruits are available in this region, including bananas,
tree-grapes
, and
peach-palms
.
Typical meal
[
edit
]
Most regions in Ecuador follow the traditional three-course meal of sopa/soup and segundo/second dish which includes rice or pasta and a protein such as meat, poultry, pig or fish. Then dessert and a coffee are customary. Dinner is usually lighter and sometimes just coffee or agua de remedio/herbal tea with bread.
For the most part, Ecuador is known not only for its
bananas
, and all the dishes made from them, but for its starch consumption of products like
potato
,
bread
,
pasta
,
rice
, and
yuca
. Traditionally any of these ingredients can be found in either the soup or the rice platter that may be served.
In a 2023 study, the most consensuated Ecuadorian dishes were found to be
encebollado
,
ceviche
and
hornado
.
[2]
Also, small variations were found among demographics, except for the representations between the Coast and Highland regions which had low correlation, unsurprisingly.
Beverages
[
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]
Aguardiente
, a
sugar cane
-based spirit, is probably the most popular national alcohol.
Canelazo
is a popular drink made from
aguardiente
.
Drinkable
yogurt
, available in many fruit flavors, is popular and is often consumed with
pan de yuca
(a puffy yet gooey bread roll made from cassava flour eaten hot). One traditional non-alcoholic beverage is
pinol
, made using
machica
(toasted barley flour),
panela
(unrefined sugar), and spices.
[3]
Another traditional non-alcoholic beverage is
colada morada
, which is made with black corn flour, sweetened with
panela
, and flavored with fresh fruit, herbs and spices.
Catholic influence
[
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]
Besides the regions, there are several typical Ecuadorian dishes consumed on special occasions.
Fanesca
, a fish soup including several types of
beans
,
lentils
, and
corn
, is often eaten during
Lent
and
Easter
, and is traditionally served all over Ecuador. During the week before the commemoration of the deceased or
All Souls' Day
, the fruit beverage
colada morada
is typical, accompanied by
t'anta wawa
which is stuffed bread shaped like children.
Chifa
[
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]
Chifa
(from the Mandarin words 吃?, meaning "to eat rice") is the Ecuadorian term for Ecuadorian-Chinese food (or for an Ecuadorian-Chinese fusion restaurant). Because many Chinese ingredients are hard to find in Ecuador, the Chinese modified their cuisine and incorporated many Ecuadorian elements (mainly Spanish, Indigenous, and African) into their cuisine, and the popularity of chifa has made it hard to find authentic Chinese cuisine in Ecuador.
Middle Eastern
[
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]
Since 1875, there has been a constant flow of Lebanese immigrants to Ecuador, first fleeing the
Ottoman Empire
, and then the aftermath of World War I and II. By 1986, there were 97,500 Lebanese immigrants in Ecuador.
Shawarma
restaurants have become increasingly popular, presenting another instance of fusion cuisine. Since many of the ingredient in
Middle Eastern cuisine
cannot be found in the country, Lebanese immigrants have made replacements with native ingredients.
One beloved Middle Eastern food that has become synonymous with Ecuadorian cuisine are yogurt drinks. The most famous are "yogures persa" brought by
Persian
immigrants in the 1900s. These yogurt drinks are most often accompanied by pan de yuca, which are analogous to Brazilian
pao de queijo
.
Desserts
[
edit
]
Alfajores
is a dessert found in virtually all of Spain's former colonies. It is derived from the versions popular in Spain during the colonial period. The original Spanish recipes, however, have been modified. The basic recipe uses a base mix of flour, margarine, and powdered sugar, which is oven-baked. Alfajores consist of two or more layers of this baked pastry, and is usually filled with
dulce de leche
(a caramel-colored, sweet, creamy filling made with milk and sugar)
Turrones
(or nougat) is another originally Spanish dessert.
Arroz con leche
(rice pudding): Another dessert originally from Spain that can be found in various varieties throughout Latin America. Arroz con leche is one of the more common desserts found in homes and restaurants of modern-day Ecuador. It consists primarily of cooked rice, cinnamon/nutmeg, raisins, and milk.
Helados de Paila (
ice cream
): Helado de paila is a
sorbet
-like specialty that hails from Ibarra. It comes in an array of flavors, and it is made with fruit juice, ice, sugar, and sometimes fruits. All the ingredients are traditionally churned by hand inside a large bronze or copper pot (paila) that is placed on ice. It is said that this frozen treat was initially made with the snow from the glacier on top of the Imbabura volcano. Allegedly, Rosalia Suarez first collected the ice, and her descendants still keep the tradition alive and run an ice cream shop in Ibarra.
Paneton or
Panettone
: is a type of sweet bread with dried fruit. It was popularized by Italian immigrants that arrived in the country in the late 1800s. It is usually served for breakfast around Christmas with a cup of hot chocolate. They used to come in big boxes only with huge panetons inside but now they also sell personal portions. Because Christmas is the hottest time of year, people often replace the hot chocolate with coffee or a drink that's served cold.
Flan: Is a popular custard dessert with a layer of clear caramel sauce.
Drinks
[
edit
]
Fioravanti
is a fruit-flavored, carbonated soft drink first sold in 1878 in Ecuador. It is notable for being one of the first soft drinks commercially sold. In 1991, it was acquired by The
Coca-Cola Company
.
Guitig is a
mineral water
widely consumed around the country at times supplanting tap water as the drink of choice.
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Duarte-Casar, Rodrigo; Robalino-Vallejo, Jessica; Buzetta-Ricaurte, Maria Fernanda; Rojas-Le-Fort, Marlene (2022-05-12).
"Toward a characterization of Ecuadorian ceviche: much more than shrimp"
.
Journal of Ethnic Foods
.
9
(1): 16.
doi
:
10.1186/s42779-022-00131-w
.
ISSN
2352-6181
.
- ^
Rojas-Le-Fort, Marlene; Valdivieso-Lopez, Isabel Patricia; Duarte-Casar, Rodrigo (2023-11-13).
"Representations of Ecuadorian cuisine in the coast and the highlands regions through the free listing technique"
.
Discover Food
.
3
(1): 20.
doi
:
10.1007/s44187-023-00061-9
.
ISSN
2731-4286
.
- ^
"Artesanos de 7 cantones expusieron en Salcedo"
[Craftspeople of 7 cantons exhibited in Salcedo].
El Telegrafo
(in Spanish). 9 September 2014. Archived from
the original
on 5 November 2015
. Retrieved
14 October
2015
.
Otra elaboracion tradicional que se degusto fue el pinol, realizado con machica, panela, canela y clavo de olor, entre otros ingredientes de la zona.
["Another traditional product tasted was
pinol
, made with
machica
,
panela
, cinnamon and cloves, among other local ingredients."]