Ecuadorian cuisine is diverse, varying with altitude and associated agricultural conditions. Ecuadorian cuisine is an amalgamation of Spanish, Andean, and Amazonian cuisines and to a lesser degree Italian, Lebanese, African, and Chinese. Beef, chicken, and seafood are popular in the coastal regions, especially ceviche, and are typically served with carbohydrate-rich foods, such as rice accompanied with lentils, pasta, or plantain. In the mountainous regions pork, chicken, beef and cuy (guinea pig) are popular and are often served with rice, maize, or potatoes. A popular street food in mountainous regions is , consisting of potatoes served with roasted pig. Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine in general include (green plantain slices fried in oil, mashed up, and then refried), (a pan-seared potato ball), and (a type of stew made from goat). A wide variety of fresh fruit is available, particularly at lower altitudes, including , passionfruit, , several types of banana, , , and tree tomato.
The food is somewhat different in the southern mountainous areas, featuring typical food such as , a soup prepared with green bananas; , roasted pork; and , or "", as dessert. In the rainforest, a dietary staple is the , elsewhere called cassava. The starchy root is peeled and boiled, fried, or used in a variety of other dishes. Across the nation it is also used as a bread, pan de yuca, which is analogous to the Brazilian pão de queijo and it's often consumed alongside different types of drinkable yogurt. Many fruits are available in this region, including bananas, tree-grapes, and peach-palms.
Typical meal
Most regions in Ecuador follow the traditional three-course meal of sopa/soup and segundo/second dish which includes rice or pasta and a protein such as meat, poultry, pig or fish. Then dessert and a coffee are customary. Dinner is usually lighter and sometimes just coffee or agua de remedio/herbal tea with bread.
For the most part, Ecuador is known not only for its bananas, and all the dishes made from them, but for its starch consumption of products like potato, bread, pasta, rice, and yuca. Traditionally any of these ingredients can be found in either the soup or the rice platter that may be served.
Beverages
, a sugar cane-based spirit, is probably the most popular national alcohol. is a popular drink made from .
Drinkable yogurt, available in many fruit flavors, is popular and is often consumed with (a puffy yet gooey bread roll made from cassava flour eaten hot). One traditional non-alcoholic beverage is , made using (toasted barley flour), (unrefined sugar), and spices. Another traditional non-alcoholic beverage is , which is made with black corn flour, sweetened with , and flavored with fresh fruit, herbs and spices.
Catholic influence
Besides the regions, there are several typical Ecuadorian dishes consumed on special occasions. , a fish soup including several types of beans, lentils, and corn, is often eaten during Lent and Easter, and is traditionally served all over Ecuador. During the week before the commemoration of the deceased or All Souls' Day, the fruit beverage is typical, accompanied by which is stuffed bread shaped like children.
Chifa
Chifa (from the Mandarin words 吃饭, meaning "to eat rice") is the Ecuadorian term for Ecuadorian-Chinese food (or for an Ecuadorian-Chinese fusion restaurant). Because many Chinese ingredients are hard to find in Ecuador, the Chinese modified their cuisine and incorporated many Ecuadorian elements (mainly Spanish, Indigenous, and African) into their cuisine, and the popularity of chifa has made it hard to find authentic Chinese cuisine in Ecuador.
Middle Eastern
Since 1875, there has been a constant flow of Lebanese immigrants to Ecuador, first fleeing the Ottoman Empire, and then the aftermath of World War I and II. By 1986, there were 97,500 Lebanese immigrants in Ecuador. Shawarma restaurants have become increasingly popular presenting another instance of fusion cuisine. Since many of the ingredient in Middle Eastern cuisine cannot be found in the country, Lebanese immigrants have made replacements with native ingredients.
One beloved Middle Eastern food that has become synonymous with Ecuadorian cuisine are yogurt drinks. The most famous are "yogures persa" brought by Persian immigrants in the 1900s. These yogurt drinks are most often accompanied by pan de yuca, which are analogous to Brazilian pão de queijo.