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**Ecuadorian Food and Cuisine**  **By: Rachel Hegele ** Ecuador is very unique in its cuisine as well as very diverse, "varying with altitude and associated agricultural conditions." (1) Relatively mild in flavor, Ecuadorian meals almost always include a starchy type of food such as plantains, potatoes, rice, or bananas. Being the world’s largest banana exporter, Ecuadorians eat a lot of them. From small finger bananas, or oritas , to onaguenos  and platanos , Ecuador possesses a huge variety of this starchy fruit. A favorite snack of Ecuadorians is fried green plantains, thinly sliced and cooked to a crisp in lard or oil. This snack is eaten just like potato chips would be in the U.S. and is made and sold right on the busy city streets. "The Ecuadorian diet favors those who eat meat" (3), as most, if not all meals include some type of it. Ecuador is also famous for its "fabulous exotic fruits, high quality fish and seafood, and countless varieties of Andean potatoes." (6) Soups are also an Ecuadorian specialty. (6)  Main Ecuadorian staples include peanuts, white rice, humitas , empanadas , and //cholos //, which are corn cobs, rubbed in fat and then deep fried or toasted. Food is flavored with //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">cilantro //, a tangy, leafy type of green herb, and //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">achiote //, a small seed that gives big color and flavor. (4) These two flavorings are used constantly on every type of food in Ecuador. The main sources of protein in the Ecuadorian diet are <span style="COLOR: red; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">lechon <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> and <span style="COLOR: red; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">cuy <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, which are both considered to be delicacies. The food in Ecuador is not very spicy like other Hispanic foods; it is very cool, and is flavored with only mild peppers and chili sauces. The only extremely spicy thing used in everyday Ecuadorian food is a sauce called //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">aji //, made from hot red peppers, but even then it does not taste the same, and isn't as hot as normal jalapenos. (4) The Ecuadorians prefer flavor to fire. There are about four major regions in Ecuador, "Andean/mountainous, Coastal, Oriente, and Galapagos." (5) On the coast, a favorite dish is //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">cerviche //, a mixture of shrimp, cod, shellfish, and calamari. (5) In the Oriente, or Rainforest region, one would find foods such as boiled yucca root, tapir, and plantain, with fresh water fish as a main source of protein. (5) This region is very sparsely populated, so normal Ecuadorian foods such as chicken and rice are almost non-existent to these Rainforest natives. (5)  <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">In the Andean, or mountainous regions of Ecuador, foods such as //fritada//, which is hominy grits served with fried pig fat, are an everyday occurrence. The meat eaten in the mountain areas is usually goat, pig, or lamb. (5) "//<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">Cecina //: roasted pork, //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">cuajada //: a popular dessert, and //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">repe //: a soup prepared with green bananas are also favorites." (1) The Galapagos region is relatively the same as the coastal region, being a series of islands, and normally goes along with a predominantly seafood diet. (5) But it is not as though only coastal and Galapagos dwellers eat fish. Ecuador is known for its fine selection of seafood, and shrimp and lobster are main parts of the normal Ecuadorian diet. (1) The main festival celebrated in Ecuador is, or course, <span style="COLOR: red; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">El Dia de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, and many traditional foods are prepared especially for this day in Ecuador. **//<span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi"> Cena //**<span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, or dinner, is the last meal of the day. It usually is eaten around 8 or 9pm, and is very light, consisting of thin grilled cheese sandwiches, flour or corn tortillas, and fruit. Ecuador is also well known for its mixed drinks that are drunk at cena. Some examples of these are //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">Guanabana //, made with blackberry, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and passion fruit, and //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">Naranjilla //, made with melon, watermelon, and papaya juice. If one is going to drink anything, with any meal, one must always be on guard for hazard. Ecuador is, after all, a third-world country, and so extra precautions should be taken to ensure that one doesn't get sick. "Eating well cooked, piping hot food is possibly the best way to avoid problems. Avoid uncooked and under cooked foods. Especially salads should be avoided until you've developed some local intestinal flora to be able to handle it. Fruits that must be peeled before being eaten, such as bananas, pineapples, and oranges are usually a safe bet." (6) Try to only drink bottled water, and avoid milk at all costs unless you know for sure that it has been pasteurized. (6) Wine, boiling tea, and beer are also good substitutes. (6) Milk can also be boiled to become purified. (6) <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> Worried about Ecuadorian foods now? That's not necessary. You can always find plenty of good old American-style fast food restaurants such as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Burger King, especially in Ecuador's main cities. (6) <span style="COLOR: red; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">
 * //<span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">Desayuno //** <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> is the first meal of the day in Ecuador. It is very light and filling, usually no more than a light, white roll and some white cheese, juice, coffee, and possibly a boiled or fried egg. The degrees of breakfasts vary in Ecuador; it depends on if one is living in the highlands/mountainous areas or on the coast. Highland dwellers usually eat no more than a few slices of bread, while coastal and <span style="COLOR: red; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Galapagos <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> dwellers eat...what else? Fish. Be careful of seafood on the poorer coastal areas though, fish, especially third world shellfish, "has become one of the primary vectors of cholera and other nasty bacteria." (6)
 * //<span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">Almuerzo //** <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> is the largest meal of the day in Ecuador. It contains at least three lavish courses, and ends with an hour long //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">siesta //, or nap, before people return to their daily duties. Almuerzo begins with what Ecuadorians call //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">sopa //, which usually is a course of sweet breads and juice, to cleanse the palate and prepare the eater for the heavier food ahead. Next comes the //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">seco //, or main course, usually a thick, hot //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">lentil // stew made with fish, pork, or chicken and flavored with peppers and cilantro. This can be eaten in a variety of different ways, but the most common and easiest is in a bowl with a side of corn or flour tortillas, much like cornbread and chili is eaten is the U.S. Another main course, usually eaten in the highland areas, is a dish called //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">arroz con menestra y carne azada //. This delectable dish is much like a stir-fry; it is meat, usually beef of chicken, fried with peppers and bacon or pork fat and other vegetables, and served hot over rice or bread. After the seco, dessert, or //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi">postre //, is served. This can include any number of sweet dishes, but the most commonly eaten are flan, a creamy type of molded custard, served in many Hispanic countries as well as Ecuador, chopped fruit, fried plantains rolled in sugar, and ice cream. Ecuador is famous for its ice cream, of which there are over a thousand different varieties. The town <span style="COLOR: red; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Salcedo <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">, in northern Ecuador, is especially know for its “ <span style="COLOR: red; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">kettle ice cream <span style="COLOR: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">,” and is one of the main tourist attractions in Ecuador.

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