Ecuador Street Eats: Tortilla De Choclo
Yummers pho in Vietnam
While my mouth and belly have many fond memories of incredible street eats in both Vietnam and Thailand (not to mention Tea Leaf Salad in Myanmar, Samosas in Nepal, et al) alas, I was never very good at remembering the names of the bountiful exotic street chow (much less how to write them in Thai squiggles) that I enjoyed for more than 2 years in Asia.
Not so here in Latin America. Though my Spanish remains clumsy at best (I prefer to think of it as Earnestly Elegant Stuttering) my vocabulary IS expanding nicely now that I’m settled here in Ecuador, and I’m able discern (and more importantly, remember!) the names of some of the unique taste treats I stumble upon as I wander the cobbled streets of Cuenca. Indeed, so confident am I in my scantily improved language skills – I thought I’d dare to start a new “Eatn” series here at TL highlighting some of Ecuador’s unique street eats.
Thus, without further ado, ladies and gents (lasses and lads), I present you with the first TL savory specimen in the Ecuador Street Eats series:
Tortilla De Choclo
I stumbled upon these little patties at a tiny kiosk called “Soda Bar Mauri” – one of perhaps hundreds – about the size of your bathroom – scattered every 300 feet throughout the narrow lanes of El Centro. The cook was carefully tending a trio of them on the griddle while her 7 yr. old hija (daughter) and 4 yr. old hijo (son, but then even those of you with absolutely no Spanish language skills figured that out, yes?) Actually, I’d dashed into the dry haven of her kitchen (for she was grilling them but two feet from the curb) as an escape from a mighty downpour resplendent with booming thunder and terrifying lightning splinters.
Curiously, the name the cook wrote down translates simply as “Corn Tortilla”. Perhaps we miscommunicated ‘cuz while the pancake is indeed corn, it’s stuffed with a tangy cheese, so… Guess I’ll have to go back and try another, and make sure I got the name right.
P.S. btw, the tortilla was but “cincuenta centavos” (.50) She apparently also serves “desayuno” (breakfast) for $1.00, and “almuerzo” (lunch) for $1.50. I SHALL be back!
What about you – know of any scrumptious street-eats in Cuenca?
Else – what’s your favorite street-eat in the whole wide world?
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
It seems a little bit like an arepa (popular in Colombia), which is one of my favorite street foods!
Yes Irene, I believe all the Andean countries have a variation of these. After all, it’s pretty much just a maize flour patty (a ubiquitous staple throughout Latin America), so it’s just a matter of size, thickness, stuffing, etc.
I hope to get to Columbia one of the days, and I’ll be sure to look for “arepas” there to see how they compare.
Favorite street eat? That’s easy, as long as I can name one per country.
Croatia – NY style pizza slices that are better than NY pizza.
Malaysia – Roti and whatever sauce I haven’t tried yet.
Mexico, Baja California – fish tacos.
Thailand – Som Tam
Vietnam – Banh Mi + pork + veggies = I could eat one every day.
They all sound yummerish FLN – and if Croatia’s pizza really tastes better than NYC, I might well have to book my next trip there!
And yes, if by country – mine would be quite a long list (including those incredible slabs of yogurt smothered in honey in Greece, deep-fried zucchini flowers in Italy, street herring in Amsterdam, conch soup in Belize, grilled sea urchins on Phu Quoc island in Vietnam, and on and on).
Oh dear, now I’m drooling. Indeed, sometimes I think my favorite thing about traveling – is the incredibly wide variety of taste treats.
I almost forgot. Croatian pizza was best in Istria, the north west area which was part of various entities occupying what is now Italy, including the Venetian Republic, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and Italy from the end of WW1 to the end of WW2.
Whatever its name, I’d call it “yummmmm”!
I have a craving for Mexican food (close enough!) right now that MUST be satiated…
Yes James – plenty of “yummmmm” here in Ecuador. And I’m finding that the food here is quite different than in Mexico.
And most certainly, waaaay different than Vietnam. Indeed, just a simple note from you and I can almost taste that deeelish pho in the pic above!
“I prefer to think of it as Earnestly Elegant Stuttering” That’s so funny! Those tortillas look amazing… cheese and tortilla, what’s not to love?!
Actually Patti, I think it’s more like just “Earnestly Stuttering” (no “Elegant” about it) – ah, but at least I try. And my Spanish does seem to be improving a teensy bit each day.
I agree with Paul, now I’m hungry, That looks so yummy! But I have nothing thats new and exciting here… I can’t wait to get there and eat all the things I have been seeing. Your posts about the street food are really going to make me want to try them all, I’m sure! Hope you will be marking a map with the locations as you go about this food journey, I would really love that!
Oh my yes Sue – trust that there will be LOTS of new and interesting street eats to try when you get here. These Tortillos de Choclos seem to be on every corner, so no need for a map – the fun is in just wandering down the cobbled streets, and stumbling upon some new taste treat.
Those look like what they call in El Salvador “pupusas” – which is sometimes translated as “stuffed tortillas”.
Suddenly, I’m hungry!
Most interesting Paul. Yes, “pupusas” – I just Goggled it and they look exactly the same (and likewise are often stuffed with queso (cheese). I’ll have to ask around to see if “pupusa” rings any bells here in Cuenca.
We love street food. It’s the exception rather than the norm over here, unfortunately. Although it’s becoming more common at fiesta time.
Yes GCL, wherever I’ve traveled, it’s the street food that is the best, and most uniquely memorable about a country. Glad you at least have some specialties at fiesta time.
Yumo. I googled and there are recipes to make these, even videos. Sort of masa flour, salt, egg for the dough, then form in balls, stuff with cheese, flatten and fry.
Yes Sis – why not try making some and posting the recipe on your Good Deal Meals blog?