Chocolate in Ecuador // An 8 Bar Blind Taste Test
The scientific name for chocolate is theobroma cacoa, which means food of the gods.
In Ecuador they call it black gold.
Chocolate is delicious, it’s sexy, and it all started in Ecuador.
After living in China for 3 years and learning SO MUCH about one of the world’s oldest and most complex cuisine, I’m heading for the equator and moving to Ecuador.
Why Ecuador? Well, it has a diverse landscape – from mountains, to jungles, to the sea. Because it lies on the equator, in many ways it’s the centre of the earth.
Things like to grow here. When it comes to the total number of plant species grown in a country, Ecuador is #9 in the world. Ninth doesn’t sound that impressive, but every country above it covers much more area than Ecuador’s 283,560 km² (from 3 times larger to 34 times its size).
The variety of fruits and vegetables in the country is awesome. Just going to the market you’ll see stacks of produce, several types of bananas, a whole section devoted to the various species of potatoes, and many odd looking plants that you have never seen before. It’s like a painting of a bowl of fruit done by Jackson Pollock.
Ecuadorians love their meat. You can get really good quality chicken, pork, and beef, but they also have amazing fish and shellfish. Grab a bowl of ceviche and you’ll see.
We can’t not mention two of my favorites: chocolate and coffee. Ecuador is the seventh largest producer of cacao, and one of only 15 countries in the world that grows and exports both Arabica and Robusta coffee.
The series will be available on my YouTube channel here: Eat Ecuador: Deconstructing Ecuadorian Cuisine.
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The scientific name for chocolate is theobroma cacoa, which means food of the gods.
In Ecuador they call it black gold.
Chocolate is delicious, it’s sexy, and it all started in Ecuador.
Fine! I’ll eat a bunch of snacks for you. Jeez. You’re so demanding.
I’m showing you the favorite snacks of Ecuadorians, and my personal favourite snacks in Ecuador. Some are salty, some sweet, and one is very unique. It’s a super food from the Amazon rain forest.
A long long time ago, some Spanish dudes put a bunch of cattle on a ship and brought them over to South America.
Fast-forward to now and Ecuador’s dairy industry is selling 1/4 billion dollars of dairy products in a year.
Cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt, and more.
Ecuador produces 5.2 million liters of milk a day, and a lot of that is used for cheese.
According to a study done by Pulso Ecuador, 84% of Ecuadorian households regularly consume cheese.
But what kind of cheese? How are they eating it? Why are expats so down the cheese here? Is it cause most of them are knob heads?
That’s what we’re going to find out right now!!!!
All over Central and South America you’ll find empanadas – a stuffed starch filled with various ingredients that makes a great snack or meal. The name comes from the Spanish word ’empanar’, which means “enbreaded”. They were brought to the Americas by the Spanish, but each country has their own take on them.
The sauce of choice in Ecuador is aji sauce. It’s a chili pepper sauce, but it’s not always spicy. Every restaurant makes the sauce themselves, so it changes depending on what they’re serving, where in Ecuador they are, and even what’s in season.
Bananas are one of the most important crops in Ecuador. Some might say they are THE most important crop. They’re the second biggest export item the country has (the first is oil), and they’re also an incredible ingredient in Ecuadorian cuisine.
Ecuadorian food showcases the country’s varied environment, but it has also been influenced over the years by the variety of cultures that now make up the citizens of Ecuador. The cuisine has come a long way since the early days when the original Indigienous people discovered potatoes, corn, cassava, and other crops that have made their impact on the entire world.
Quito’s Mercado Central, or Central Market, is a must-stop when visiting the Ecuadorian capital. It’s a great place to observe the culture, but more than that, it’s a great place to get a delicious meal.
I have a Google Alert on the words “Ecuador food”, so I get an email whenever these words are published in a news article. One day my inbox was flooded with articles about guinea pig ice cream. Of course, I absolutely had to try it.
If I need to grab a quick lunch in Ecuador, I know I can head to a local restaurant and get a hot, filling, and incredibly tasty bowl of encebollado.
Potatoes in Ecuador is a big topic. It’s said that the Andes mountains are home to over 4000 types of potatoes. They were first grown in Peru, just north of Lake Titicaca, 8000 years ago.
Ecuadorian markets are filled with all sorts of ingredients for cooking – stacks of vegetables, fruits, meat, and even even pantry items. In the video, we’ll have a quick look at the variety of fruits and vegetables, and then it’s time to grab a plate of my favorite dish in Ecuador (so far) hornado.