Ecuadorian

Andean potato cooking and Inca mote corn met Spanish pork, dairy and achiote frying in the sierra. On the coast, African and Caribbean plantain, Manabí peanuts and the Pacific's fish built a different kitchen, later shaped by Guayaquil's cacao, banana and prawn economies. Twentieth-century cart food such as encebollado and bolón de verde became national dishes without ever losing their coastal identity. The fixed-price almuerzo with its soup course is the shared national habit across all three regions.

An achiote-and-cumin refrito starts most savoury dishes. Soups are thick with potato or peanut, never clear. Ceviche is cooked and juicy, eaten with popcorn and chifles, and is deliberately unlike Peru's. Green plantain is mashed hot; ripe plantain is fried sweet. Ají, a fresh chilli salsa, replaces heat in the cooking itself. Cheese is fresh and crumbly, and avocado is a condiment.