La comida.

Today I'm going to talk a little bit more about the food here, just to give you a better idea of what it's like to live in Ecuador. There's actually a lot I could say about the food, but I'll sum it up as best I can. 

First, I'll start with the fruit. There are a ton of unique fruits in Ecuador--so many, in fact, that I'm still discovering more after living here for over three months! Here are some pictures of fruits I've had here that are uniquely Ecuadorian.

Granadilla, otherwise known as snot fruit. I had AJ try this when he came.

Guanabana. It's sweet and the juice is delicious.

Mora, which is kind of like a tart blackberry.

Taxo, which tastes a little bit like papaya to me. Not my favorite.

Tomate de arbol, or tree tomato. Used to make aji (hot sauce) and in juice.

One of the great parts about living in Ecuador is the juice. Ecuadorians make juice out of everything and drink it all the time. My favorite happens to be good old ordinary peach, and I drink it every morning. Mora is a close second.

Empanadas.

In general, Ecuadorians seem to eat pretty simply. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, which typically includes juice, soup, rice, a small piece of meat or fish, salad, and maybe beans. Some other popular side dishes are choclo (corn with cheese on top), llapingachos (potato cakes), mote (a big grain that really has no flavor), menestras (like baked beans), fried or grilled plantain, and lima beans. Ecuadorians also love ceviche (cold seafood soup with tons of cilantro, lime, and onion), humitas (smashed up corn and cheese cooked and wrapped in a leaf), and empanadas (my personal favorite!). Stews made of chicken, beef, goat, or pork are also pretty common. Guatita (cow tripe stew) is a big favorite here, although I really, really don't like it. For the most part, we eat the whole animal here, which is not surprising as this is a developing country. You already know that I'm not such a fan of animal feet or some of the cuts of meat we'd normally throw away in the U.S. Food is not heavily seasoned here, and it's rarely spicy--even aji, or hot sauce, is usually not spicy to me.

Hornado--roast pork with mote, avocado, and rice.

Although I really like most food here, there are some things I'm really missing or am not a big fan of. Cheese here is really not so good--it's rubbery, tastes sour, and there's only one kind unless you're eating somewhere fancy. I also miss American ketchup--I don't know if the salsa de tomate here is missing sugar or what, but I don't eat it. Sometimes I miss brewed coffee, because instant coffee is the norm here. Pop is served without ice, which is good and bad at the same time because ice is often made with tap water and will make you sick. Another part of the food here is that you have to be careful with vegetables, fruit, and water, depending on where you go. If something isn't washed properly, or is washed in tap water, Americans will get sick from that too. As a result, we wash our produce with grapefruit extract in the apartment and boil water before drinking it. Still, despite all the precautions you take, you will get sick from something. Fortunately, it looks like I'm going to leave this country without the bad bacterias and parasites some of the other students have gotten. I've been really healthy this whole time as far as that stuff goes. 

Humitas.

So, I'd say there are pros and cons to Ecuadorian food, just like anywhere you go. But for the most part, I've really enjoyed it and will miss a lot of my favorite dishes. Especially the empanadas!