What to eat in... Ecuador????

Does anyone have any experience with Ecuadorian food? I am leaving Friday morning for sixteen days and all I know about is that the fruit is supposed to be amazing and they eat guinea pigs (oh yes I am going there). I have been so busy the last few weeks I haven't researched as much as I should have so I wanted to see if the hotbytes folks have any recommendations. Any Ecuador experiences you would like to share?

Fritada

Hornado

I haven't been, but my father has and he claims these are awesome. You can't go wrong with fried or roasted pork in my book.

[Robin Garr]

Ecuador, like Peru and Chile, is a good place to get seviche ... corvina is the standard fish.

Ecuador, like Peru and Chile, is a good place to get seviche ... corvina is the standard fish.

Yes!

Squeasel !!!!

Hi Adam!
Hopefully, you'll check this before you leave. I have a dear friend who is an Ecuadorian, now living in Amsterdam (loooong story). I just heard back from her about what to eat and here is her response:

Ok, so first rule of thumb is DO NOT EAT ON THE STREET!
Food is cheap enough so going to nice resturants is pretty affordable.
Most typical dishes are with pork but also lots of seafood. My recommeded list is:

Fritada (rosted pork)
Hornado (baked pork)
Ceviche de camaron (shrimp cocktail)
Corvina (sort of sea bass)
Fruit juices (most drinks served in ECU are fruit juices of all kinds of exotic fruit.... they are awesome)
Empanadas (it is a small sort of calzone)

If they are in Quito, tell them to go to FRUTERIA MONSERRAT.... they have exotic deserts and all kinds of typical food such as empanadas.

These are my favorite things but their taste really depends on who makes them so picking up the right resturant is the key; the lonely planet book usually have nice suggestions.

Seafood is awesome, i would eat as much fish as possible. But note, things are very different down there.

Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip

Ok, so first rule of thumb is DO NOT EAT ON THE STREET!

Anthony Bourdain would frown on that recommendation.

Ok, so first rule of thumb is DO NOT EAT ON THE STREET!

Anthony Bourdain would frown on that recommendation.

I too would frown on that. From living and eating from street vendors from Mexico City to Medellin hundreds and hundreds of times I have never gotten sick. Sit down restaurants have gotten me sick dozens of times, but never street vendors. The best food comes from street vendors. Word of advice that has always helped me choose. Go to the busiest vendors that everyone is crowding around. It not only speaks of their food but also ensure high turnover of inventory.

I had a great time in Quito. Things you must do...

Plaza de Independencia

La compania- incredible church, rumored to have close to 2 tons of gold inside.

El Panecillo- crazy aluminum statue looking over the city

Basilica de voto nacional- it takes balls to get to the belltower, evidently I dont have them.

Teleferico- cable car taking you to WAAAAAAYYY up the mountains overlooking Quito

I also did the base of Cotopaxi by horseback and it was the highlight of my stay there. Beautiful ride carving through the mountainside. Also Ecuador grows a large majority of the flowers sold in the states. Great to go through a farm nursery.

I could go on, just reply to this thread if you have further questions....

Ok, so first rule of thumb is DO NOT EAT ON THE STREET!

Anthony Bourdain would frown on that recommendation.

Yes, he would frown on that. And under normal circumstances, I would tend to agree with you, Brian and everyone else who disagrees with my friend's assessment.

But, I've known my friend far longer than I've known Mr. Bourdain. She's a native of Ecuador, having lived there for the first 18 years of her life. She wouldn't steer me wrong.

Ok, so first rule of thumb is DO NOT EAT ON THE STREET!

Anthony Bourdain would frown on that recommendation.

Yes, he would frown on that. And under normal circumstances, I would tend to agree with you, Brian and everyone else who disagrees with my friend's assessment.

But, I've known my friend far longer than I've known Mr. Bourdain. She's a native of Ecuador, having lived there for the first 18 years of her life. She wouldn't steer me wrong.

Was there a particular reason she gave for her recommendation not to eat street good?

[Robin Garr]

Was there a particular reason she gave for her recommendation not to eat street good?

Concern for sanitation, would be my guess.

I don't know if my story is relevant, but once in Costa Rica - where you can actually drink the water - we had been hiking in Manuel Antonio National Park and came down to the beach, parched, to find a guy selling fresh-squeezed orange juice from a bicycle-based food stand. I ordered a tall one of course, drained it, then handed him back the glass. Next thing he did was reach down and give it a quick hand wash in the same bucket of soapy water he'd been using for the same glass all day.

I kind of wish I hadn't seen this.

Bottom line, I was fine, and it's further evidence that "that which does not kill us makes us strong." But in general, street food is both delicious and not for the faint of heart. I'm guessing that iffy sanitation is what Tara's friend had in mind.

I agree with everyone else. Street food is great, and I'll try it anywhere. But it does pay to be situationally aware.

Well, the trip was amazing in large part to the food. It was incredible. I got the double bonus of staying with my bro in laws family during the times I was not trekking around so I got home cooked double mega awesome three times a day. Also, I relayed to the family just how special food is to me and they were like, "ok, double portions for you". Fresh bread, juices (OMG), milk from a little lady who walked the streets screaming "Leche! Leche!" every morning... And I nailed the street food. I went crazy. I ate anything they gave me. I ate a fish eyeball (I just plucked it out from a fried fish on a dare), tripe, grilled pig skin (with hair and all), guinea pigs (cuy), everything... There was no way I was turning it down. And it was all FANTASTIC. I got pics of almost all of it. I will add them all in this thread here once I get settled back. Ecuador is awesome!

[Robin Garr]

Ecuador is awesome!

Glad you had a great time, Adam! We'll look forward to the pictures.

Ok, I don't even know where to start but all i can say is that Ecuador is full of delicious food and I only had one "bad" item in 16 days (a skunky piece of cheese at a hotel). Everything else was phenomenal. Here ya go!

A typical breakfast. Simple. Fresh milk and instant coffee (was hoping there was a Juan Valdez, Jr. lurking around but no), fresh bread, and some sort of fruit. This day was a tangerine kinda thing:



Another breakfast this time on the coast - scrambled eggs and yucca stuffed with queso fresco:



Amazing fruit stand. Bananas were 2 dollars for an entire stalk and there were five different types. The red ones had a caramel flavor:



Helado de Salceda. This town makes ice cream for the whole country. It's literally Ice Cream City. Fresh fruits, rich cream, with a guava center. YUM.



Seafood:



Camerones Apanados (breaded fried shrimp. I had this over and over).



Tortilla de pulpo (octopus omelet. sounds scary but it was a knockout)



Sopa de pescado (fish soup. The soups turned out to be the best stuff).



Ceviche mixta (shrimp, corvina, conch, octopus)



Taking a break with a coconut:



More shrimps and cold beerz:



Cocoa. We plucked this off a tree during a trek in the jungle and smashed it open on a rock. It looks like something from the movie Aliens but it was slightly tart with a sweet, refreshing finish. You gnawed the white flesh from around the seed.



At the Asadero (OMG). Just a pile of succulent, grilled meat. This was almost like fast food in some places.



More asadero with corn topped with mayo (YUM)



One of my favorite street foods: grilled pork skin. Yeah, that's hair.







Late night burger stand. They had one item. Cheeseburgers with pineapple. Delicious.



He was the master.



Another breakfast:



That thing on the left that looks like a tree stump? That's a giant chicharron. AH!



This woman has apparently been working at this market selling fresh juices and milkshakes for decades. A pint of the best juice you can ever drink? 50 cents. It was heaven.



A market in Ambato:



Street hot dog with mayo:



Fritada and tamales at an incredible street stand. Just fantastic.





Same stand, tamale heaven:



More asadero. She is using a blower to jack up the flames.



Meat!



Sopa de pollo (simple chicken soup):



Giant bag of fresh strawberries for a buck? Ok, sure!



Forgot the name of this fruit but the meat inside tasted like a peeled grape mixed with pear. It was awesome.



Tamale covered in chocolate:



What!



Helado con coco y mora (berry and coconut ice cream) bought on the street for 30 cents. The cone was made fresh too



Me and the dang coconuts!



Churrasco. All the churrasco was served with fried eggs on top. I didn't complain.



A soup with grilled pig skin and avocados.



Very scary looking fruit that tasted fantastic. More pear meets tart orange kind of thing.



Egg on the equator. It worked!



Cuy! (guinea pigs)







Oh yes I did!!



OUr going away meal. See, we were spoiled in that we stayed with my brother in law's family and got home cooked meals all the time. This was fritada and plantains:



Same meal:



The laboratory. This little propane fueled stove used rebar and could blast heat nothing short of a flamethrower.



Home cooked Llapingacho. This is plate numero dos for me



Late night "diner" food. Imagine in Palermo Viejo was open 24 hours and was sort of like Twig and Leaf. This place was like that.



Finally the best dish of the trip. Sopa de tripe. Tripe soup. The tripe was buttery, nutty, savory, and melted in your mouth. You just don't find this in the States. Unreal.



And see ya!



Cheers!

[Robin Garr]

Ok, I don't even know where to start but all i can say is that Ecuador is full of delicious food and I only had one "bad" item in 16 days (a skunky piece of cheese at a hotel). Everything else was phenomenal. Here ya go!...
Cheers!

Great pics! Thanks for taking the time to share them, Adam.