Ecuador restored my faith somewhat. A reasonable variety (though still themed largely around chicken and rice) but the appearance of set menus is a gift for the money conscious traveller. Desayuno, almuerzo and cena are the three meals of the day and almost all cafes have a menu del dia which would cost anywhere between $1 and $3 for a typical meal:
For instance, an almuerzo in Otovalo, north of Quito:
Sopa of chicken and stock with a bit of coriander thrown in.
A secundo of rice, chicken (or meat or fish depending on your choice) with potato or yuca (A kind of potato tasting floury thing – I’ve not seen it other than on a plate so have no idea what it looks like.)
Drink to accompany the meal would normally be lemonade – the freshly made lime with water and sugar type.
Churrasco was the first dinner I had in Ecuador – it’s a common South American dish abd most cafes will serve it: Carne strak with fried egg on top, rice, chips, salad and half an avocado. Sometimes comes with lapingachos if you’re lucky – fried balls of mash with cheese in the middle!
Churrasco from Peru
Street food is abundant considering the style of living in the Andes – very much a rural market affair so there are always people selling foods on the street no matter the hour or day. (Though I wasn’t tempted by the tripe soup for breakfast):
- Pincho: A BBQ skewer of two frankfurter style sausage things, potato, chicken ir meat or mixte – they take it all of the skewer, put it in a bag and then add ketchup and mayo. Yours for $1.
- Chicharón - this can be found all over Ecuador and is fried pig skin. Basically, hot fresh pork scratchings. Great for an early death. Normally served with mote which is popped corn, but popped in water so it’s not crispy.
- Canelazo is a drink that accompanied one of our chicharón – it’s a cinnamon tea which you then mix with sugar and cane alcohol. The cane alcohol is an extremely potent moonshine derived from sugar cane. (I’m sure that somewhere in South America they run cars off the stuff…)
- Tostada, at least in Otovalo, was the name given to fried maize – again, it’s like popcorn that hasn’t quite popped. You know when you get those bits at the bottom of a bag of popcorn which haven’t popped? Well it’s like those but double the size and a softer texture. Often served either in a bag as a snack or as a side dish to a meal or soup.
