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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 magueños.

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.

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