Eating at the Center of the Earth (Alyna Johnson)

Introduction

Food has always been an interest of mine. In fact, whenever I read travel books, I immediately flip to the pages on local cuisine. On my trips, I enjoy trying new dishes and learning about the roles food plays in different cultures. In Ecuador, I tried a variety of foods and observed how the country uses ingredients in inventive ways.

What Foods Grow in Quito Due to the Conditions?

Main Exports

Fish and shrimp are 24% of Ecuador’s exports, bananas are 10%, and coffee and cocoa are 3%. The country mainly exports to the US, which receives 28% of its exports; China, which receives 18%; and Panama, which receives 14%. However, you must visit Ecuador to try their fresh products!

High Altitude

During our first day on the mainland, we stayed at Casa Gangotena, Quito. In the center or downtown area of Quito, near the Virgin of El Panecillo, residents are around 10,000 feet above sea level, and crops can grow even higher at over 13,000 feet above sea level. Only certain produce is suited to these high altitudes, including potatoes, wheat, oats, onions, and garlic. In every part of the Andean zone, Ecuadorians cultivate corn because it remains the base of their diets.

At high altitudes, residents need significant energy for trekking. Certain foods also aid digestion, which is hampered by the atmospheric pressure and scarcity of oxygen molecules in the air. Fortunately, the food is very fresh in Ecuador, for processed foods do not support digestion. Complex carbohydrates release energy at a steady pace to prevent Ecuadorians from being drained of energy and help them adjust to the low oxygen levels. Thus, we tried quinoa and beans in many forms. High antioxidant foods prevent oxidative stress, so there are numerous succulent berries in Ecuador, especially blackberries! We tried a refreshing blackberry juice and saw many blackberry plants on our trip. Since potassium allows muscles and nerves to function properly, bananas and potatoes are ubiquitous in Ecuador. Cocoa may allow our bodies to carry more oxygen. No wonder Ecuadorian chocolate is so famous!

Unique Climate

A popular misconception is that the capital city is very hot since it is near the equator, but it is not tropical. Only some places within Ecuador, such as Guayaquil, have such a climate. In Quito, there is mostly pleasant spring weather. However, within a single day, temperature fluctuates drastically. Especially in the summer, Quito can reach around 25°C (77°F), which is extremely hot for residents. They have little protection from solar radiation due to the high elevation and their location near the equator. At night, temperatures can drop to around 5°C (41°F). Thus, residents have jackets and vests on hand even when it is hot.

Our Cooking Class

Appetizer: Vegetarian or Fish Ceviche

At Mama Cuchara, we tried two traditional ceviches for our appetizer. The first option was a vegetarian ceviche with tomato and orange broth and heart of palm. We were surprised to hear that the chef had used Fanta to infuse orange flavor into the broth! Later in our trip, we stayed at Hacienda Zuleta, where we tried a similar dish with fresh orange and thus a more natural taste. In both places, we savored the ceviche with toasted corn, popcorn, and plantain chips. These toppings added a crunch and additional salt to the dishes. The second ceviche involved fish and thinly sliced avocado sitting in a clear broth. The garnish was green onions, which the chef taught us to chop. We topped the dish with the same snacks.

Entrée: A Breakfast-Inspired Plate

After we had cleaned our bowls, we enjoyed the entrée, which consisted of sausage, a sunny-side-up egg, cube-shaped plantain patties, avocado, a sweet potato chip, and a salad of beets and pickled onions. My favorite component was the pillowy plantain patties while Riya enjoyed the salad, for the sweet beets and briny onions were a balanced pairing. Some of our family members also snacked on the cheese stuffed potato patties, or llapingachos, we had prepared. In order to make them, the chef taught us to mash boiled potatoes with a mortar and pestle before seasoning with a traditional smoky sauce called achiote.

Dessert: Empanadas

We finished off the meal with dessert. As we gathered around the table, the chef mixed, kneaded, and rolled out empanada dough. He then combined cheese, bananas, and cane sugar for a sweet and salty filling. After he cut the thin dough into squares, he added a spoon of filling to each. My mother and aunt encouraged him to add more, but he hoped to prevent the filling from oozing out the sides and to achieve a crispy exterior. He crimped the edges by skillfully pressing his thumb into the dough before twisting it to achieve an appealing design. The technique was difficult for us to master, so we have agreed to use a fork instead when we try the recipe at home.

The kitchen fried our empanadas, coated them in sugar syrup, and dusted the plate with powdered sugar. We enjoyed the empanadas with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, berries, and mint. One of the instructors shared that Ecuadorian families often gather in the kitchen to cut empanadas into fun shapes, and we look forward to doing the same.

Bizcochos

During our second day on the mainland, we visited the equator line but were accidentally locked out of our van! Thus, we had some time to kill before a car came to transport us to our next stop. However, everything happens for a reason, for we were able to try bizcochos de Cayambe at a nearby shop due to the delay. Bizcochos are biscuits that consist of wheat flour, vegetable butter, yeast, salt, sugar, and hot water while Cayambe is the mountain in Ecuador through which the equator passes. Our guide demonstrated how to assemble the quintessential snack. First, take a bizcocho and spread dulce de leche on one side. Then, grab a roll of queso de hoja, or “leaf cheese,” which got its name because it is wrapped in a leaf. Take a bite of the biscuit and then the cheese before continuing to alternate.

My favorite part of the bizcochos was the dulce de leche. According to our guide, all the Latin American countries say they have the best dulce de leche, but the one we tried was truly special. It was thick and smooth with the perfect level of sweetness. The combination of this sweet spread and the salty queso de hoja reminded me of the empanada filling we had tried the day before. I enjoy that Ecuadorian food features cheese in both sweet and savory dishes.

Agave

At the same shop, a talented artist taught us about agave. Foods derived from agave include honey agave syrup, tequila, and mezcal. I was surprised to learn that in Ecuador, agave not only serves culinary purposes but is also featured in shampoo, conditioner, instruments, and more. The artist carves instruments from agave that produce different sounds, including a bird song, which is his favorite.

He even employs different parts of agave for visual art. For instance, he used mezcal to paint a monochromatic brown piece, and he was able to achieve different values by heating the alcohol to varying temperatures. Another piece, which he called the Andean Mona Lisa, features 3,000 spikes of agave. For another artwork, he used 11,000 spikes, the Guinness World Record. To create an image of a grandmother, he applied charcoal agave, and he has also used honey agave syrup and agave fiber.

Lunch at Hacienda Zuleta

By lunchtime, we had arrived at Hacienda Zuleta, which offers an assortment of their cheeses, made onsite, at each meal. Our entrée was seco de borrego, a lamb stew, with turmeric rice. The lamb was tender and had sweet notes due to the agave, a flavor profile that reminded my family of syrupy glazes in Asian cuisine. We ate the meal with a salad that had shredded lettuce and avocado.

The following day, we started our lunch with a cheesy potato soup accompanied by avocado. This dish was followed by a corn cake with a hard crust and a gooey, cheesy center. Throughout our time in the Hacienda, we marveled at how fresh the food was. After wandering around the property, we discovered a garden with a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers. No wonder the food was so delicious!

Lunch at Hacienda La Compañía

During Day Four, we visited a factory that sells roses, Ecuador’s primary floral export, and had lunch in the family house. The main course was moist lemon chicken, a family recipe; quinoa patties similar to the llapingachos we tried on Day One; plantain; and vegetables. My family agrees that this trip enhanced our appreciation of plantains, for we tried them in numerous forms and loved them all!

For dessert, we sampled two Andean fruits: babaco and tree tomato. Babaco is from the family of papaya but grows about 2,000 meters above sea level. When you peel it, it looks like a pear, but it has a unique, sweet taste. The chefs boil the fruit in its own syrup. The tree tomato is slightly more common and is also peeled and boiled in its own syrup with a bit of sugar. Tree tomato is more sour than babaco, so the combination of the two fruits is well balanced.

The Ecuadorian Twist

My father noted that many of the foods we tried were reminiscent of foods with which he was familiar but had a twist. At breakfast, the adults enjoyed their coffee as usual, but it was very thick and dark. They noted that although locals can enjoy the coffee as is, they had to pour double the amount of milk to counter the bitterness and decrease the viscosity. My younger cousins observed that the hot chocolate was similar; it was a lot thicker and darker than they were used to. Ecuadorians try to limit the amount of sugar and cream they use in their chocolate, opting for more cocao paste.

Conclusion

Overall, Ecuador showcases an abundance of delicious meals and other creative uses of food. As soon as my family arrived home, we searched for our favorite recipes to hold onto what we gained in this glorious country.

Sources

Thank you to our Abercrombie & Kent guide in mainland Ecuador for sharing the information upon which this post is based.
https://tradingeconomics.com/ecuador/exports
https://followalice.com/knowledge/the-best-foods-and-drinks-for-acclimatising-to-high-altitude
Feature image: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sandramacgregor/2023/06/01/ecuadorian-cuisine-discover-5-of-the-countrys-most-fascinating-foods/