Ecuador 11 (wrap up)

Well, the time has come. I'm leaving tomorrow.  2.5 months in Ecuador has passed fast and slow, but passed nonetheless... :( Tomorrow I will post one last ecuador post of the last meal that Mamita is making me (it's going to be deliciouse), but before that I'm going to post all of the food's I forgot to mention so far.

Here is one of my favorite fruits that you've probably never heard of. It's called Cherimoya and looks ugly as hell on the outside, like a dragon's egg, but is sweet and deliciouse on the inside - think banana combined with pineapple.

Last weekend we went to the beach, and aside from getting the worst sunburn of my life, I also ate some of the best food I've had in Ecuador. Understandably, Costeño food is all about the seafood, and so am I - oh and all the tropical drinks were good too, especially the Piña Coladas and the Coco Locos (coconut milk, coconut rum, rum).

Here's a typical Costeño breakfast, called a Bolón. It's a ball of deep fried plantain and cheese- could you ask for anything better?

This is a bowl of ceviche I bought on the beach (ceviche de la beachay?). Octopus, squid, conchas, fish, shrimp... hit's the spot on a hot day and you don't even have to leave your towel.

This is another one of my favorit foods, called Camarones al Ajillo - shrimp in creamy garlic sauce with rice and sweet plantains ($4.50 btw).

And finally, maybe the best thing I've eaten this whole trip. I ordered an Empanada de Camarones for breakfast on Sunday, and instead of you're normal-sized empanada, this thing was the size of my plate if not bigger and FULL of shrimp in a sauce of tomatoes, onions, carrots and spices. This pluz the Piña Colada was pretty close to heaven on earth.

When we came back from the beach Mamit made Bolónes deVerde for dinner, but her style involves mashing the plantains with Chicharrones (deep-fried pork skin), pan frying them (healthier?), and serving them alongside a fried egg. Mmmm cholesterol...

And speaking of cholesterol here's a street food I finally tracked down last week. Salchipapas are everywhere in Ecuador, but being on the heavier-side for a snack I hadn't gotten around to eating them yet. French fries and a deep-fried hot dog covered in Ketchup and Mayonnaise...yep. You know that shit was good.

And finally, a Quimbolito. Quimbolitos are the cousins of Humitas (sweet tamales with egg) and Tamales (salty with chicken or meat). Corn flour and raisins steamed inside a banana leaf, they are more cake-like and somewhere in between corn bread and spongecake. Not my favorite, but hey... gotta try everything once.