Here is a short list of the food dishes we tasted during our journey.
This is what the food in Ecuador represented for us.
*** ATTENTION: content not suitable for those on diet or having problems of cholesterol ***
1) Llapingachos
“Llapingachos” are fried mashed potatoes with a cheesy heart. Crunchy and singed on the outside, these “food meatballs” of potatoes, remain soft and tasty inside.
They are generally served with chorizo or fried pork, fried egg, avocado, red beets, tomatoes and salad.
This dish is originally from Ambato, but it can be found in the markets of the whole Ecuador.
It’s a really delicious dish!
Feel guilty for calories? Well, don’t worry. There are also lots of vegetables in the dish! 🙂
2) Salchipapas
Born in Peru, it has now become a typical street food in Latin America.
The name salchipapa is composed of 2 words : “Salchicha” (sausage) and “Papa” (Potato).
Not really good for cholesterol as everything is deep fried: French fries, fried sausage, fried egg. Served with various sauces like ketchup and mayonnaise, it is often served with a small salad (at least this is not fried!)..
3) Locro
It is a potato soup with other ingredients such as meat, maize or miscellaneous vegetables.
It is ideal to warm up as in the mountains the temperatures are often particularly low or after an excursion to a waterfall.
4) Cuy
Last but not least the most surprising dish… CUY. The Guinea Pig!
Yeah, that’s right, that nice animal half rat and half hamster. It’s impossible not to see it in any menu of an Ecuadorian restaurant… Taste it is another speech and we didn’t make it!
This list of Ecuador’s dishes is not exhaustive, it’s just the food we tried or didn’t have the courage to try!
Also the famous Chevice (As travellers we avoided raw fish and its possible consequences!), many other soups and desserts are missing!
What have you tasted in Ecuador? Let us know about your experiences!