Quito, exploring its cuisine. #TRAVEL

Ancient Capital Of Quito.

Ecuador’s ancient capital Quito, sits high in the Andean foothills. The World Travel Awards declared it a leading Tourist Destination in South America in  2013, 2014 and 2016.

Quito draws travelers from all over to experience  the beauty and history of the area. But this is  not the only thing that attracts visitors…they come to experience the diverse gastronomy as well and to discover the cuisine of Quito . The extraordinary tastes and diversity of flavours of their pre Hispanic, colonial and republican heritage fuse beautifully with the new contemporary and international techniques used. This creates outstanding gastronomic pleasures, shaping Quito to be known as the “culinary destination of the Americas”.   Latitud Zero is a special culinary summit that has been held the last few years . International celebrity chefs attend and bring their knowledge and experiences in avant-garde cuisine to Quito. Here they share new techniques using local ingredients, and thus furthering the shaping of Quito to be known as a wonderful culinary destination.

I always enjoy discovering new tastes and experiences in food, so the cuisine of the country or city I am travelling to has always been important.  Going to a country whose cuisine tends to be naturally gluten free is crucial for me, so that I can enjoy the unique flavours of the destination’s foods, without having to worry about becoming ill. This is what draws me to Quito and the cuisine of Quito.

Dining Experiences

Quito has an abundance of both casual and fine dining experiences to suit anyone’s tastes. I love having such variety and the option to try something different depending on what I am in the mood for.  Can you imagine dining at the top of the volcano, or in the middle of the world? You can do both of those in Quito! I am excited at the prospect of doing both some day.
In some of the restaurants, you can even experience cooking demonstrations and classes, giving it more of a personal experience- my favourite thing! I love to see how things are prepared so that I can go back home and try to replicate. {Key word is try.} 🙂

Some of the local specialties are:

• Locro. This soup, which is called rucru Quichua, was common among the Incas and people who cultivated potatoes. It is not really a soup or a broth with potatoes; its consistency is more of a thick stew.

• Canelazo. Two types of this drink are typical in the Andes: one mixes water, cinnamon, sugar and aguardiente, and another and naranjilla juice to the mix.

• Fresh fig with cheese. This dessert is served as a specialty during Easter and as a snack throughout the year. Another variation is the white sugar powdered fig, an old recipe made by in cloistered monasteries.

Just the thought of the unique flavours and diversity along with incredible local ingredients have me salivating and carefully planning how I am going to get to Quito. I want to try all the amazing cuisine, along with experiencing the majestic beauty of the area. The culture and the history… its Spanish colonial buildings date back more than 500 years; it has one of the largest, least-altered and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas and was also one of the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO in 1978. These are just part of the reasons I really want to visit.