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9 Unique Tastes you must try in Quito, Ecuador
November 2, 2016
Think of a food that Ecuador is famous for?
Chocolate?
Coffee?
Guinea Pig?
Yes, Guinea Pig is a dish in Ecuador. It’s a traditional food eaten mostly by people with roots in the high lands. Our guide informed us that it’s often serves during holidays and to guests as a sign of welcome. It’s roasted and the skin is crispy. It’s actually quite good albite a little gamy.
Don’t worry, you won’s have to get an invite to a home to sample it. A cute restaurant in the historic district called ¡Hasta la Vuelta!, Señor serves this dish with potatoes. Our guide, Santiago, swore to us it’s more traditional with rice. Nevertheless, it’s worth a try for adventurous stomachs.
People in Ecuador refer to this dish as Cuy.
In addition to some fun surprises there are also a number of other foods I highly recommend you try.
Chirimoya Fruit. It’s found everywhere and it’s a fleshy fruit that actually tastes very good and sweet. It’s often made into juice and you can find it almost anywhere. On our drives to different sites in Quito we found pop-up stands with this fruit on every road and in every market.
Canelazo. Don’t drink this and then drive. This is a sugary alcoholic drink that tastes like the best of Christmas. It’s made with sugar cane alcohol and spices. Ecuadorians drink it year round especially on a cold night. It can be bought by glass or pitcher and it’s one of those drinks that you won’t feel until you stand up so pace yourself. But honestly, you can’t leave Ecuador without trying it.
Hominy corn and maiz tosado/cancha. Honestly, it comes with everything. Fish. Beef. Soup. Crackers. Other Corn. It’s a must have side with all dishes and usually comes served on the plate. It’s sometimes mixed with hominy and sometimes it’s just dried corn known as cancha. It often comes with delicious salsa that you mix it in. Just put a little salt and salsa on it and enjoy. I must admit it was a bit of an acquired taste but because it comes with basically everything I acquired it and enjoy it. It reminds me of the corn nuts I use to eat as a kid (ok, I still eat them).
Empanada de Viento. It’s basically a huge empanada filled with cheese and topped with sugar, often serves with aji or hot sauce, sometimes a peanut based hot sauce. Most of the empanada is just air and sugar and if you find the cheese it’s off to a corner and a bit of a pleasant surprise. I had a few of these late at night while drinking Canelazo because life really is great.
Coffee. Yes, it really is that good. I’m not going to lie and say that every cup I had was heaven but the cups served to me during my stay at Casa El Edén in Quito near the historic center were some of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had. I drank it black the entire time during breakfast at the bed and breakfast.
Most of the food I ate in Ecuador was superb. It’s definitely a place where I would not plan on losing any weight. It feels like there are three servings for every meal and most of the food is so good you end up stuffing yourself. My husband and I took a few “digestion walks” around Quito trying to make sure we could still move after such heavy meals. Below are are a few snap shots of other recommended food and drinks.
Cocoa tea is slightly tasteless but I was told it’s good for altitude sickness for which Quito has plenty.
The hot chocolate is often made with an actual piece of chocolate. Take that nestle.
Domestic beer. Tastes like basic USA domestic beer. Like Budwiser.
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