Traditional/Typical food in CUENCA | Ecuador

pork shoulder

🥗Healthier: chicken thighs

💰Cheaper: pork belly

Chicken thighs are lower in fat and calories, while pork belly is often less expensive.

beer

🥗Healthier: non-alcoholic beer

💰Cheaper: apple cider

Non-alcoholic beer provides similar flavor without alcohol, while apple cider adds sweetness.

aji sauce

🥗Healthier: salsa verde

💰Cheaper: hot sauce

Salsa verde offers a fresh flavor, while hot sauce is widely available and inexpensive.

Explore the market and look for local dishes.

Order a dish called 'fernando' which includes pork and fish with sauce.

Try the dish using spoons, noting the taste of the pork.

Order and try 'mote pio', a traditional dish of corn wrapped in eggs and milk, served with a slice of ham.

Taste the creamy corn dish, noting the texture of the corn compared to U.S. corn.

Observe the cooking process of 'olimpias' which involves a cleaning process with snacks and herbs, often associated with health and wealth.

Visit a hat museum and learn about hat molds and their historical significance.

Explore a church that is one of the largest cathedrals in Latin America, noting its unfinished state.

Enjoy a large cookie purchased for two dollars in the park.

Try a local drink that is flour flavored but consider not drinking it due to rumors about its contents.

Order a chicken and apple dish for dinner along with a local dish called 'locre de papa', a potato and cheese soup, and 'sico di chancho', a dry pork and egg dish.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary