Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Roasted Guinea Pig
Cow's Foot Soup
Stick with me here.
Caldo de Pata
is one of the simplest and most delicious soups you'll
ever try in your life, exemplifying comfort food at its best. It's one of those foods you
wouldn't be turned off by if you didn't know what it was, but if I didn't tell you about it,
you'd most likely overlook it. First, white hominy and/or garbanzo beans are boiled in a
milky, savory juice of various herbs and spices with potatoes, and when the cow's feet are
added to the pot they instantly absorb the soup's flavors. The fatty pieces of meat melt in
your mouth in the easiest way.
El Mercado Central
(
12 de Noviembre
and
Marieta de Veintimilla
) serves up all these
meals and more on its second floor, alongside the requisite fresh juice stands that are a
staple of markets in Ecuador. A healthy specialty found in this particular market is the al-
falfa, carrot and orange juice, blended together and ladled into a plastic baggie to-go. Why
to go? Because, unfortunately, this market reeks of pigs.
