5 Ecuadorian food adventures
Getting to know the local food scene in another country is not always just about eating delicious and strange foods. It can also sometimes provide some insight into local culture, as well as an opportunity for self growth. Getting out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself to eat strange things that you might not otherwise try is one of the must-dos when travelling.
Here I will share my 5 most memorable meals in Ecuador - either because the food was delicious, strange, and/or because of the local interactions it brought.
1. First meal in Ecuador
In Guayaquil, on our first day in Ecuador, we went to a busy, local restaurant for lunch. Since there were no empty tables left, we sat down at one with an older man called Juan Jose. He's a watch maker and talked to us about many things and was very helpful and friendly - a great introduction to Ecuadorean people! We started our $2.25 lunch with Caldo de Bola. The way I described it as I first wrote this was, "a delicious typical soup with some sort of something stuffed with meat inside". What it actually is, as I later found out, is a typical soup from the coastal region that has meat-stuffed plantain balls. Clearly I had absolutely no idea what I was eating. Which is totally fine, and I loved it.
Juan Jose shared with us his huge avocado he had brought from home, which we mixed into the soup, following his lead (great local tip!). After the Caldo, by travel buddy ate Carne Seco, and I had a chicken dish - both also great. It was one of the best quality and most delicious local meals we had both had in Latin America until that day.
2. Cracking crabs
For dinner in Guayaquil we found ourselves at a very local spot, with a number of seafood eateries lined up next to each other. I left my travel buddy to grab a taco, but when I returned, she had 2 crabs in front of her, accompanied by plantains and a sauce of apple, onion and lime, along with a wooden board and a gavel. She started the process of cracking open the first crab's legs, while I ate my taco. The whole situation tempted me, and before I knew it, I had also ordered myself a crab, which came out steaming hot (I guess freshly killed), and I joined in. We sat there, cracking open our crabs and getting splattered with crab juice and meat, surrounded by the sounds of other locals all doing the same thing.
3. "Pork Lady"
One of our favourite dishes in the town of Baños was a delicious plate of succulent pork and veggies from the "Pork Lady" in the local market (at which we seemed to be the only gringos). She's easy to find, because her marketing involves a big decorated pig's head. The market is only open Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and also sells an abundance of fresh and cheap fruit and vegetables, so it's definitely worth a visit!
4. Quito Food Tour
Ovi's Food Tour in Quito's old town was a great way to sample a bunch of local dishes. Visiting 5 local places around the neighbourhood, Ovi he explained each of the dishes to us, some of which included interesting options such as cow uterus and cow guts, and of course tripe. Guatita is a good Ecuadorian dish to try featuring cow's stomach and peanut sauce (it can also be found in Quito's Central Market). Other delicious options on the food tour included beef on potato tortillas, humita (like a corn-cake), and a huge pork dish for $1.50. Continuing on to nearby La Ronda (the bohemian neighbourhood), we finished the tour off with canelazo (a hot rum and fruit drink) and a huge, fried, cheese and sugar empanada shared around the table.
5. Chocolate for dinner
Appropriately saved for last, because it seems like it should be a dessert, and also because it was one of my last meals in Ecuador, was the deliciously rich "chocolate soup" I had for dinner one night at a chocolate cafe in Mindo. It consisted of a bowl of fruit in a "soup" of hot chocolate with lemongrass, and it was divine. That cafe also serves the most delicious chocolate brownie in the world (and I don’t say that lightly). It is connected to a cacao planation of which it does very informative tours (and, of course, tastings included at the end). Yum!
