It is common to find in Latin America excellent products that at home, in France or in English-speaking countries, we would be happy to have as well (vegetables, fish, tubers, cereals…).
However, these products are not always necessarily cooked in Latin America … On the other hand, in Ecuador, there are for example a dozen kinds of bananas, among which the green plantain, denamed “verde”, which has very little sweet flesh and is therefore eaten as a vegetable like a tuber. And just this variety of banana “verde” declines into a very varied range of dishes that will certainly surprise you!
For example; empanadas de verde, bolones de verde, tigrillo, patacones, etc … (we’ll come back below with more details about other specialities of Ecuador).
White corn on the other hand, is also a historically essential food of the gastronomy of Ecuador, that comes in a great variety of typical and very tasty dishes.
In particular, the white mote (and boiled), wich accompanies many dishes and soups of the country.
Soups, are one of the highlights of Ecuadorian gastronomy. Usually eaten at the beginning of meals and all year round, there are all kinds, with or without meat, but always composed with vegetables, aromatic herbs (such as fresh coriander), cereals and tubers.
These include oca (a kind of sour potato substitute) and mashwa (a tuberous capucine). The latter continue to be cooked by the inhabitants of the town of Otavalo (mainly indigenous).
In general, we can say that the Ecuadorian population feeds itself mainly with rice, potatoes (with Peru, it is the country of potatoes with an indisputable variety), meat (chicken and pork in particular) and fish.
The “classic and traditional” dish served in the restaurants of the country is composed of a plate with a piece of meat or fish (in sauce or not), rice (almost obligatory, much like bread in France!), a portion of mixed salad or one or two vegetables, or some fries.
– The Bolón de verde : it is in fact a plantain banana donut (made from “verde“) filled with traditional cheese or chicharón (well-cooked pork). It’s excellent consumed at any time and accompanied by a good Ecuadorian coffee!
– Ceviche: it is a dish composed of fish or crustaceans cooked, then marinated in lemon (or only marinated in lemon), with tomatoes and onions minced, garnished with some spices such as coriander. There are all kinds of ceviche, both on the coast and in the Sierra (Andean regions), but the traditional dish comes from the Ecuadorian Pacific coast.
These include: corvina ceviche (white fish), camarones (shrimps), or concha (shellfish or mussels) or mixto. There are also vegetarian ceviches, such as chochos ceviche, with Andean lupin seeds (chocho).
Traditionally, in Ecuador, the ceviche is served with a small plate of unsweetened popcorn (canguil) and tossed corn (tostado) to mix … It’s excellent and crispy!
– Empanadas : so typical and so good! These are slippers or donuts made from plantain banana (verde) most often, or from wheat flour, or corn.
Empanadas are filled with cheese, meat or chicken.
– Fritada : a typical Ecuadorian Andean dish, it is a preparation made with pork (chancho) cooked for several hours and accompanied by banana maduro, tossed corn (tostado), mote (with corn), boiled potatoes, with a mixture of tomatoes, onions and avocado … very tasty!
– Fresh Fruit Juices: Ecuador has a very wide variety of fruits of all kinds, exotic as well as traditional, and rare (from the Amazon).
Discover them in almost any restaurant or bar, asking without sugar (sin azucar) to enjoy their natural flavors and to avoid excess calories!
– Coffee: although the Colombian and Brazilian coffee are more popular in Europe, you will be really surprised at the high quality and variety of coffee in Ecuador, especially the one produced in the Intag (Cotacachi and Otavalo region in the north of the country) and in Loja (South of Ecuador) … without forgetting the extraordinary coffee of the Galapagos Islands, not to be missed!
– Beers: some national brands founded several decades ago are generally good and similar to ours in the West: Pilsener and Club for example. There are especially a myriad of very good craft beers (especially in Quito, where small craft breweries are numerous). Let indulge yourself with a good artisanal beer with passion fruit, or cacao … very refreshing and surprising in flavor!
