Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mate de arbol
(tree tomato) juice is probably the most popular, prepared in various fash-
ions and consumed widely. The orange drink is a little creamy and very cooling.
Fruits that are better eaten than juiced include the
pitahaya
, a type of dragonfruit resem-
bling a spiky yellow grenade containing a sweet white pulp inside speckled with black
seeds, vaguely tasting of honeydew, but zestier. Then there's the
camote
, a rough, round
brown fruit with fleshy orange insides. It's a sweet cross between pumpkin and melon.
Traditional Drinks
With its age-old heritage, the native drinks of Ecuadorian have been passed down from
generation to generation and to this day, it's common to have a glass of Chicha during
Yamor
, an infusion of Guayusa in the Amazon or a piping hot Canelazo to curb the effects
of altitude in the sierras. Herbal teas are still widely-used for their medicinal properties,
but soft drinks are becoming more and more popular along with an onslaught of fast food
restaurants.
First of all, forget every bad thing you've heard about Ecuadorian coffee; it's delicious.
Unfortunately, most traditional eateries serve the instant stuff, but like neighboring Co-
lombia, you'll have to dig a little deeper to find the goods.
If you're not a coffee drinker, the Kichwa
Guayusa
infusion offers the same amount of
caffeine as a cup of coffee with twice the amount of antioxidants as green tea. Native only
to the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest, the tree leaves have been plucked, dried and drunk
by native communities in the Oriente for as far back as anyone can tell, claiming that it
helps to sharpen their instincts, keep them alert and foretell their dreams. Medical testing
has proven some of the claims to be true, and now a few commercial supply chains are
sustainably exporting the bottled infusion to interested corners of the globe. The dried
leaves are folded and strung on a wreath like a
lei
and even hung for decoration until each
one is used. It is usually drunk with a slice of lemon and a little sugar and has a slightly
citrus flavor.
The most popular traditional Ecuadorian drink,
Chicha
has variations all over the South
American Andes but is also been consumed in the jungle by small communities during
celebrations. Made of grains like oatmeal and corn that's mixed with fresh juices and fer-
mented to give the drinker a beer-like buzz, its milky consistency and sweet flavor make it
popular in small villages all over Ecuador, while people in metropolitan cities like Quito
