• Empanada de morocho – a fried pasty made from corn dough and stuffed with ground beef, carrot and peas, served with spicy ají sauce.

• Humita – a corn bread cake steamed in a cornhusk. Great with coffee.

• Ceviche – an onion, tomato and citrus juice-based cold soup most commonly containing shrimp, but also clams or fish. In the highlands, the seafood is sometimes replaced with avocado, hearts of palm or chochos (lupine seeds). It is commonly served with popcorn, chifles (fried plantain chips), and toasted corn. The best ceviches in the country are available in Manta, Guayaquil, Santa Elena, Salinas, Montañíta,Tonsupa, Puerto Bolivar and also in the world capital of shrimp, Machala. Ask locals where you can find exportation class shrimp and they will direct you to the best shrimp you will ever eat.

• Cazuela – a peanut-flavored soup served hot and filled with fish, seafood, plantains and vegetables.

• Encocado – fish marinated in citrus juice, covered with a coconut sauce, and served with rice and fried plantains. Esmeraldas, Manabi, Santa Elena and Guayas are the best places to eat this recipe

• Locro - a soup of potatoes, avocado and cheese. Yaguarlocro is the same dish with dried pig’s blood added on top. Guayllabamba near Quito is the home of this dish.

• Caldo de patas – a broth-based soup with cow’s hoof.

• Roasted Guinea Pig (Cuy) – a traditional highland dish of an entire roasted guinea pig with potatoes, usually in a cheese sauce, and lettuce.

• Fritada – fried pork served with corn on the cob, avocado, hominy, potatoes, fried plantain, and curtido (a common onion and tomato salad).

• Hornado – pork, roasted until very tender, then roasted again inside the pig’s skin, giving the skin a crunchy consistency. Served with hominy, stuffed potato patties, avocado, and curtido. The Ecuadorian capital of “Hornado” is Sangolquí, 45 minutes by bus from Quito.

• Llapingachos – potato patties stuffed with cheese and fried until crispy on the outside. Served with a fried egg, avocado, and curtido. Ambato is the place to eat this recipe in their brand new and clean main market—always go with friends.

• Churrasco – a thin cut of beef served with fried egg, French fries, avocado, fried plantains, rice, and curtido.

• Seco de pollo/chivo/carne – a hearty stew of chicken, goat, lamb or beef made with beer, onions, tomatoes, and herbs. Served with rice and potatoes or manioc root.

• Fanesca - a thick soup made of 12 grains, representing the 12 apostles. A seasonal Easter dish.

• Colada morada - a thick blackberry-and-flour-based, fruit-filled drink, served hot or cold, sipped or eaten with a spoon. Usually served with guaguas de pan, bread shaped and decorated to look like a baby. Served only around the Day of the Dead celebration (November 1 & 2).

Various restaurants will serve some or all of these typical Ecuadorian dishes. Just look or ask for “comida típica”. The main markets also serve traditional dishes alongside fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat.

Principal markets:

In Quito:
• Mercado Santa Clara
• Mercado Central

In Ambato:
• Mercado Central

In Guayaquil:
• Mercado Central

In Cuenca:
• Mercado 10 de Agosto

In Quito, also try La Choza, a well known restaurant serving traditional dishes.

Ecuador traditional recipes

Ecuador traditional recipes

• Prev
• 1 of 2
• Next

For Ecuador is known for its wide variety of fruits, bananas, passion fruits, papayas, world class seafood such as jumbo shrimp, and an incredible mixture of Andean products with coastal products across the country. Such a mixture is also available in the Amazon rainforest.

Across Ecuador you’ll find delicious menus from which you can select national and regional recipes. This includes one of the secrets of Ecuador, lemon-marinated shrimp with, toasted corn, known as Ceviche. This is not like Peruvian cerviche. It is more spicy and has many different varieties that use seafood such as shrimp, fish and octopus. It is very flavorsome.

One of the most unusual dishes you will find is the roasted cuy (guinea pig) or cow-stomach stew, guatita. Both of these are Andean delights. The Coast has its own amazing dishes.

Budget travellers can eat in local restaurants. Classic almuerzos (lunches), and dinners, meriendas, usually give you soup, a main course, juice and dessert for between $1.50 and $3.

Eating on the street is always at your risk. The hygiene standards here are not recommended, though with care travelers can eat here. Fresh fruit and juices may look great but if the water is not bottled you may get sick.

The main “hot” sauce is Ají, hot sauce made from a spicy red pepper grown in the Ecuadorian Andes, coast and tropical coast. This red pepper has many different names and is similar to Mexican species. Levels of Aji vary from province to province. Try just a little at first, especially in the Carchi and Loja provinces. Here the Aji is really strong but in the rest of the country it is a nice spicy sauce, ideal to add to soups and main dishes. The locals say that when you have to eat bad food it is easier to do so with aji. This may be advice that is worth keeping in mind.

Patacones (squashed, fried green plantains) accompany basic dishes on the Coast. They are an excellent accompaniment to your breakfast, which will include rice, patacones, eggs, a hot cup of coffee and fruits.

At the coast, rice and fried steak are served with menestras (beans or lentils) and cassava. This is a traditional large meal that will make you want to sleep afterward.

Soups are without a doubt Ecuador’s specialty. Potato locro soup made with cheese, avocado and potato, sounds a bit different, but is a delightful recipe. Yaguarlocro is really similar to locro but includes sprinklings of fried cow blood. This looks weird, but has a great flavor and you might love it. Both dishes come from Guayllabamba, just 30 minutes away from Quito and there are a lot of restaurants to choose from there.

Ecuadorian typical food, recipes and cuisine offer an array of novel tasty dishes to try. While the general gastronomy of the country varies by region, rice - accompanied by beef, chicken, pork, legumes, and potatoes - is a staple everywhere. Ají, a spicy sauce, is served with most dishes. Below is a list of several typical dishes, which can be found in various forms nationwide.

More about "Ecuador Gastronomy"