Monday, November 10, 2014

Ecuadorian Street Food - Five Tips for Eating the Unique and Delicious Dishes


Ecuadorian food is diverse, and underrated.

South American food has some similarities but Ecuador enjoys putting its own twist on South American favorites, as well as making some pretty unique dishes of its own.

Each of the country’s three geographic regions, the Amazon, the Sierra, and the Pacific Coast features its own array of local delicacies.


Ecuadorian Dishes on the coast normally contain seafood whereas up in the Andean region you will find more meat, rice and potatoes.

Soups seem to be popular everywhere.

Besides the typical delicacies Ecuador offers its own variety of street food.


If you are adventurous eater at heart, or even if you prefer more familiar options, you are sure to find something to enjoy.

Although street food suffers from bad reputations, Ecuador’s streets offer unique and delicious options.

And if you keep few tips in mind (and let your stomach get accustomed to the food gradually first) it is possible to eat, and enjoy, street food.


Leave your preconceived notions at the border, and make it a point to step outside your comfort zone while traveling through the country.

There are some Ecuadorian street foods that you will find in every region (Coast, Highlands, Amazon, and Galapagos Islands) of Ecuador and almost every city or small town.

There are also some street foods that are very regional and unique to specific cities.


One of the best places to find delicious street food is at ferias or local fairs and fiestas (local festivities).

Other popular places include markets, main plazas on weekends, beach towns, bus stops, and at the exits of local schools.

There are some traditional dishes that are popular at markets and people visit the markets specifically to be able to eat them.


Keep in mind that not all street food is cooked equal and if you are worried about the quality and your health when eating street food, then it’s best to get recommendations from locals.

I have gotten very sick from eating Ecuadorian street food.

But through the years I’ve learnt to recognize the stalls where you can eat safely and the ones where you cannot.


Always check how clean the place is and also the utensils, a good thing is to think about the smell also, does it smell delicious or like something has gone bad.

Many things can be seen just with the bare eye but an Ecuadorian trick is also to check how many people are eating in the place compared to the others next to it.

Usually the fullest, or the one with most buyers, is the best and safest.


Tips:


1. Make sure the place is clean looking and smelling, as the person selling and preparing the food.

2. Sanitize your hands before eating. Always carry a hand sanitizer with you.

3. Don’t eat mayonnaise, chili sauce, salads or fresh ingredients without cooking, or let them come into touch with your food. Sadly these are the ones with most parasites, and possible diseases.


4. Make sure the utensils are clean, and clean them with paper towel (and if necessary with bottled water) again.


5. Drink only bottled water. Make sure the juices and ice are done from bottled water.

Extra tip:
Look where the other's are eating. Usually the place that is full has good food, and it is good quality too. If in doubt ask from the hotel reception where to eat, taxi drivers also normally know good places that they can recommend.

30 comments:

  1. I have never been to Ecuador but it looks very rich in culture. I bet the food is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. For better or worst, i love street food! This looks like a great trip, never even considered going to Ecuador but for the food...i just may! thanks for sharing this post with us!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love eating at fairs and off the street carts.. i feel that its the most authentic foods to the native cities..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Funny how overseas has street food and not to many people get hungry during the day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh how amazing is this! I would love to try street good (I've only ever tried the hot dogs here in TO) I think it would be so fun to experience all this!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The carts look so interesting, I'm sure it's all really delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very cool to see all the awesome food the vendors offer! I like the lemonade cart :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would love to be able to try some of the different food options.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love traveling to new places. Enjoyed reading your experience.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This sounds neat and great advice. I love traveling to new places.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I make a habit of "stalking" street food vendors before buying for these reasons.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I've always liked food fairs and trying a lot of different things. I've never tried much of what you mentioned though.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you so much for the tips. I have to admit I was over seas and I didn't follow any of these tips and have to give thanks that I didn't get sick. I was in Thailand and I ate off of every street vendors cart I even watched large rats running through restaurants. Apparently I wasn't thinking straight but now if I ever go back I sure as heck will take more precautions.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I've not yet made it to South America, but street food is my favourite! What are the specialities that you should really try if you go?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These are from Ecuador, every country has their own street food but here you really have to try cebiche, at the Andes cebichocho and at the coast shrimp and fish cebiche. Also at the coast you just have to eat encebollados (a fish soup with lots of onion and yuca). At the Andes chochos con tostado (lupin beans with a hard toasted maize), pinchos (or kebabs), maduro con queso (sweet plantain bananas with cheese), empanadas, tortillas, hornado (oven made pig) and fritada (fried pig).
      There are loads of other good things too. I would say, make sure the food is clean and try out everything you can. The food here is amazing!

      Delete
  15. Some really good tips, the one thing ive noticed about your photos is all of the colours, everywhere there is something so brightly coloured which always catches my eye x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to admit that I love colors. And I love taking pictures here because of there is so much color and people love colors too. Much more than I do actually, lol

      Delete
  16. Look where the other's are eating - this is a great tip, especially when you search fro locals - they normally know what's good

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am always wary of eating street food but always get tempted! Some great tips here

    ReplyDelete
  18. I would love to try some of that street food! But if I ever get the chance, I'll definitely remember your tips. Even though I do love my mayonnaise.

    ReplyDelete
  19. i love street food, some of the best stuff out there. very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love street food, but your tips are great advice for staying healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  21. All of it looks good but we do have to be careful with street food; especially if it's raw. I'd try some though.

    ReplyDelete
  22. All good tips - follow your nose and your instincts and use your common-sense.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I think I would worry about food poisoning but if I knew which ones to eat at I would love to try the street food! x

    ReplyDelete
  24. They say you'll know and experience the culture of a place by their street food. :)
    I'm not that adventurous in trying new stuff but these foods look interesting and inviting! Must try!

    ReplyDelete
  25. i was searching for Tips for Women to Stay Healthy and Fit on google and reached here. Thanx for Sharing your Knowledge

    ReplyDelete