International Recipes and Cooking Around the World

Ecuador: Recipes and Cuisine

Carnival in Ecuador

Image by Eric Hossinger

Ecuadorian cuisine is known for its innumerable potato varieties, the spicy heat of the ají pepper and the soft crackle of roasting guinea pig. The food is solid, healthy, tasty and can be cooked easily in kitchens around the world. Popular dishes are ceviche, llapingachos, locro (potato soup) and humitas, Incan-style tamales.

As hinted by its name, the country of Ecuador lies on either side of the equator along the northwestern coast of South America. Its neighbor in the south and east is Peru, and it shares a border with Colombia in the north. Ecuador has a long Pacific coast, a mountainous central region and tropical lowlands in the Amazon interior.

The food of Ecuador offers a mix of two worlds. There is a deep foundation of Incan heritage mixed together with the influence of Old World cuisine. More typically Incan cuisine is concentrated in the mountainous inland areas and the diet is based on meat, rice and potatoes. Nearer the coast, the diet is centered around fish, seafood and plantains.

Typical Ecuadorian Dishes

Ecuadorian Recipes

Try these recipes from the country of Ecuador.

Cancha

Bowl of cancha toasted corn snack

(Ecuadorian, Peruvian toasted corn snack)

Locro

Locro potato-cheese soup

(Ecuadoran, Peruvian potato-cheese soup)

Ceviche

Ceviche con choclo y cancha

(Latin citrus-marinated seafood)

Cuáker

Rolled oats

(Ecuadoran oatmeal beverage)

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