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other various products of the mountains: tostado,
patacones, rice, canguil.
Encebollados (literally, “onionateds”) are a wonderful
local food, though not well known outside of Ecua-
dor. They consist of seafood in a tangy, tomato soup
with mashed yuca, onion and coriander. Add plenty
of lemon juice and pepper. You can also add Pop-
corn, tostado (toasted maize) or chifles (fried slices
of plantain).
Traditional holiday foods
Certain public holidays and festivals in Ecuador also
have special foods associated with them. For exam-
ple on 2nd November, All Souls Day or the Day of
the Dead, decorated bread babies (guaguas de pan)
are eaten. People drinks Colada morada which is a
purple drink made from black raspberries, blueber-
ries, dark maize flour, pineapple and range of differ-
ent herbs and spices.
The fruits of the sea, the exotic flavor of every day.
The Pacific Ocean, with warm and cold currents that
flow into the parallel 0, give the country throughout
the year more than 650 species of fish and sea food.
Esmeraldas province, in the north, is rightly famous
for its fantastic “encocados” - fish or prawns in a rich
coconut sauce, usually served with rice and pata-
cones. Not surprisingly, in the past, seafood, was a
treat for the elite and a gourmet pretext to strengthen
political and trade relations between the peoples of
the coast and the mountains.
Fruits, a range that connects with nature.
All, all year round. Native and foreign. Juicy pulp.
Fruits are another milestone in the abundance
and versatility of the Ecuadorian soil. More than
300,000 hectares are exclusively for fruit planting.
Thus, a natural juice, a real estate in Europe, is
part of the daily menu. And Ecuador is not only
producer of oranges, claudias or avocado. In
terms of exportation the banana is not the only
king. Passion fruit is another leader with 24 million
dollars in revenue in the first quarter. It is followed
by pineapple, with 15 million, and papaya, with
1.3 million dollars.
The banana, the golden fruit
From yellow to green, sweet to savory. The banana
is one of the more versatile fruits. The gastronomy
doesn´t ignore any of its varieties: the oritos, the
guinean, verde or the mature. And they are found in
various dishes. From small, yellow and sweet fried
maqueños,which are served with the traditional Fri-
tada serrana, to brown baked balls of the coast. Its
production is regarded throughout ten provinces.
Bananas were the first outdoor of Ecuador to the
modern world and became the icon of transit be-
tween bankruptcy and boom. Now, the banana is the
major nontraditional exportation.
Cocoa: the pleasure that melts in the palate
Of all the cocoa in the world, only 5% is fine aroma
and Ecuador exports 63% of world production. But
this cocoa is not only tested in international markets
and experience of good black chocolate now en-
joys as the flavors and aromas of a fine wine. New
brands, like Cocoa Republic and Caoni have differ-
ent qualities of chocolates that varies from region to
region. The Esmeraldas has an intense flavor, the
Manabi has a slight acidity, El Oro roasting leaves a
taste on the palate. In addition. cocoa is not only of-
fered as a product, but as travel plans. In the Cocoa
route, cocoa farms of Guayas and Manabi open its
door to sowing, harvesting, recipes..
TYPICAL ECUADORIAN DRINKS
1. Variety of fresh juices made with papaya, pineap-
ple, mango, maracuyá (passion fruit), naranjilla (a
cross between an orange and a tomato), (tree to-
mato, a ubiquitous sweet-and-sour local fruit said to
be good for the heart and for reducing cholesterol)
and guanabana.
2. Local beer: Pilsener (Cervecería Nacional),
Club (Cervecería Nacional), Brahma (Ambev Ec-
uador).
3. Aguardiente - a strong spirit (60-100 proof,
or more if it’s homemade) made from fermented
sugarcane and all but officially considered the na-
tional liquor of Ecuador.
4. Canelazo, a mixture of boiled water, sugarcane
alcohol, lemon, sugar, and cinnamon typical of the
Andean region.
5. The term “Zhumir” was coined in 1870 by Franc-