What do people eat in Ecuador?

Diet

In Ecuador the most important meal of the day is the midday meal. The Serranos (people from the Sierra) like to eat meat, corn and potatoes, while Costeos (people from the coastal regions) prefer fish, rice and beans. Soup is served at both lunch and dinner and hot bread is a popular snack.

Ecuadorian dishes include seco de chivo (goat stew), patacones (green bananas fried in oil, mashed and refried) and humitas (sweet corn tamales). Ceviche is fish or seafood marinated in lime juice and seasoned with onion, tomatoes, chili and cilantro. It is sometimes served with cangil (popcorn). Ecuadorians boil their coffee until it is thick and strong. They also enjoy a hot drink called api, made from ground corn.

Ecuador produces many different kinds of fruit, including citrus fruits of all kinds, mangoes, papayas, melons, tamarinds, custard apples and passion fruit. Naranjilla is a fruit that is unique to South America. It looks like a crab apple but yields a delicious juice that is often served for breakfast. Ecuador is also famous for its bananas. The yellow variety that are exported are called guineos, but there are also miniature bananas called oritas, green cooking bananas called verdes and red bananas called magueÃ±os.

Special foods are served on holidays and during fiestas. On Good Friday a special fish soup is made with 12 grains that symbolize the 12 apostles. Every year, on All Souls' Day, most families share colada morada. This is a syrupy drink made from flour and fruits.

he Quichua tradition of dried meat or charqui, has given Americans the English word jerky.

In 1630 an Indian named Loja discovered that the sap from the quina tree (called quinine) could be used to treat people with malaria. This drug was used by British troops in India. Most people do not know that this drug is found in Ecuador and think it is from Asia.

Mealtime

The Serranos (people from the Sierra) like to eat meat, corn and potatoes, while "Costenos" (people from the coastal regions) prefer fish, rice and beans. Soup is served at both lunch and dinner.

Popular Ecuador Recipes

Braised and Pan-Fried Pork - Main Dish
Ecuadorian Corn and Purple Potato Salad - Side Dish
Encocado - Main Dish
Fanesca (Spring Soup) - Main Dish
Lettuce and Potato Salad - Side Dish
Lima Beans with Aji Chiles - Side Dish
Peach Tres Leches - Dessert
Pollo en Salsa de Almendras (Chicken in Egg and Almond Sauce) - Main Dish
Puteria de Mariscos - Appetizer
Red Pepper and Garbanzo Bean Salad - Side Dish
Seviche - Main Dish
Sopa de Tomates Con Platanos (Tomato Soup with Bananas) - Side Dish
Traditional Black Bean Soup - Side Dish
Vinaigrette - Side Dish

Back to Ecuador Facts

World Regions

Africa Asia Central America Europe Middle East North America Oceania South America The Caribbean

Most Popular

United States of America China France Italy Canada Spain India Brazil Mexico

All Countries

Afghanistan Akrotiri Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Clipperton Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Cook Islands Coral Sea Islands Costa Rica Cote d’Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dhekelia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia, The Gaza Strip Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Jan Mayen Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sudan, South Suriname Svalbard Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands Wake Island Wallis and Futuna West Bank Western Sahara World Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe