Quito, Ecuador
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Quito’s Best Street Foods
By David Raezer
Get an authentic taste for the Ecuadorian capital city’s diverse cuisine by trying it’s famous street foods. Whether you’re at a sit-down restaurant or lining up behind the locals at a street vendor, here are some tasty treats to try:
Empanadas
The quintessential, see-it-everywhere street food, the empanada is found throughout South America and every country has its own version. In Quito, however, they have three!
- Empanadas de viento — a fluffy sweet and savory treat filled with cheese and covered with a light dusting of sugar
- Empanadas de verde — originating from Ecuador’s costal areas, these are stuffed with green plaintains and, unlike the coast which adds a mixture of seafood, Quito’s variation includes (you guessed it!) cheese!
- Empanadas de morocho — a specialty of Ecuador, these empanadas are made with a thin white corn flour shell and filled with meat, rice and peas. Delicious!
Fritada
For the meat lover, this decadent traditional dish is a must try. To make it, diced pork is boiled in water and then seasoned and left to fry in its own drippings.
Bolónes
The breakfast of champions — bolónes — are large fried balls made from mashed plantains and either cheese or meat and usually eaten with a splash of hot sauce.
Salchipapas
A delicious combination of salchichas (sausages) and papas (fried potatoes) often topped with your choice of salsa: rosada, tomato and onion or a spicy salsa de ají
Espumilla
Join the local children and dive into the local espumilla. While it looks like ice cream, it’s instead an unmeltable mixture of freshly whipped meringue cream and fruit extract such as maracuya or guava.
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