14 Worldwide Traveller


12TH JUNE 2023 THE TRAVEL GUIDE DISTRIBUTED WITH


From fine-dining meals to chocolate tours and cooking classes, here are some of the experiences not to miss in South America’s rising culinary star


ECUADOR on a plate


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Ecuador is full of tasty surprises. Chefs around the country pick from a pantry that spans the Amazon in the southeast, the Pacific coast in the west and the Andes right down the middle. Ancient table- side traditions are protected by Indigenous communities, and with seven products bearing denomination origin — from Arriba chocolate and palora dragon fruit to Trasnkutukú peanuts — Ecuador is a real gastronomic winner. In Quito, travellers can tuck into


tasting menus and award-winning sweet treats, while coastal cities like Guayaquil boast some of the best seafood on the continent. Sweet tooths, meanwhile, can fall further in love with chocolate in the country where cocoa was first domesticated. And when the sun sets, they can sample Ecuador’s proud beer- brewing heritage.


Tuck into Quito restaurants Tere’s plenty to savour in Quito, from globally-renowned restaurants to joyful picanterías, which specialise in spicy Andean cuisine that draws office-working locals back for lunch every day. Indeed, Ecuador’s historic capital city offers visitors culinary experiences that meet every taste and budget. At Nuema, husband-and-wife team


Alejandro Chamorro and Pía Salazar lead the pack after ranking 24th in Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards 2022. Drawing from the country’s diverse ecosystems, the paired tasting menu might include everything from llama, coca leaf and corn to Amazonian paiche river fish with cashew nut and lemon balm. Last year, Salazar took home the accolade of Latin America’s Best Pastry chef, too, so diners should leave room for her desserts.


In the cool La Floresta neighbourhood is Quitu, which features in Latin America’s top 100 restaurant shortlist, offering contemporary Ecuadorian cuisine with ancestral roots. Chef Juan Sebastián Pérez’s creations are often made with traditional ingredients he personally sources from around the country, including puca shungo (violet tubers) and Galápagos grouper fish. Try them in his tasting menus, which change to reflect the best of the season’s produce. Quito’s lively Central or Iñaquito


markets on opposite sides of the city centre are great for traditional bites. Visitors can sample pork dishes such as roast hornado and fried fritada; slurp yahuarlocro (a soup made with potatoes and lamb meat and entrails); or bite into crispy empanadas and llapingachos (cheese-filled potato cakes).


Walk the Latitude Iche route Ecuadorians have long revered Manabí, a coastal region in the country’s northwest, for its gastronomic heritage. Now, a new gastronomic trail — created to help revitalise local communities following the devastating 2016 earthquake — has placed it on the international map. A Slow Food-backed project,


Latitude Iche is Ecuador’s first gastronomic trail and highlights local, traditional and seasonal culinary experiences in Manabí. More than 60 centres take part, including farms, restaurants and workshops, offering meals, guided plantation tours and cooking classes. Look for specialities including corviche (snacks of fish, plantain flour and peanuts) and bollo (a plantain-leaf wrap with peanuts, achiote and fish).


From left: Salmon trout, yellowfin tuna and sea bass ceviche with a lemon, apple and passion fruit sauce; a view of Guayaquil, Ecuador; Ecuaodrian cacao


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