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CUSTOMS, RELIGION AND MEALS
By Maricela Osorio Rizzo





Several foods in Ecuador are a mixture of culture with religion and ancient traditions that survived after of the process of colonization. Four hundred years ago, Ecuadorian people kept feeding corps’s souls and remembered the dead of Jesus with a traditional meal.
Ecuador has had many meals and customs that remained after colonization. People bring special meals to cemetery for corpses in a holiday that is called “The Day of the Dead”; although the holiday is celebrated in coast and Andean region, it is one of the most important dates in the indigenous calendar.
This holiday is an indigenous ritual, but their meals are eaten in other regions, because it is delicious.
Indigenous prepare those meals, because they believe that the souls of their relatives will visit them on 2nd of November. So they should have food to feed the souls.
The two most popular dishes they prepare are “colada morada” (a purple sweet drink) and “guaguas de pan” (a kind of bread shaped as a child, “guagua” means child).
Colada morada is prepared with cornmeal, pineapple, peach, strawberry, mango, blackberry and other ingredients that are simmered with sugar and brown sugarloaf until the colada has every ingredients perfectly mixed. On the other hand, “Guaguas de pan” are a special bread with cinnamon and stuffed with a special custard with several flavours.
In the Andean regions, the ritual involves in decorating the graves with flowers and bring the soul's favourite drink and food. People sometimes wear black for to the ritual, but the indigenous’ tradition always involves wearing colourful traditional clothes. In the coast this ritual is strange, but people go to the cemetery even on the night, but whiting meals for eat in the tombs.
The indigenous ritual is a mixture of ethnic cultures and Catholic customs. They did this ritual after that Cristobal Colon had arrived to America and they kept doing it for several centuries since then.
Another traditional holiday food is Fanesca, that is prepared on holy week. This food is eaten by people all over the country, in the coast, Andean region and the Amazon region.
Fanesca is a soup with 12 different ingredients (mainly grains) that represent the12 Jesus’ apostles. This food has fish, cheese and milk too.
Many people prefer to prepare Fanesca with tuna that salt cod, because the flavour is different. Other people add sweet corn, sardine and other vegetables.
In general Fanesca is prepared on Friday because Ecuadorian people don’t eat meat during Holy week.
Ancient Spanish people had taught their religion, but people in this country mixed the new religion (Christianity) with ancient costumes. The cross with rituals sun, the Bible with their gods, saints and pagans, church and altars for sun, moon and earth.
These foods are a mixture of ancient cultures and Catholic customs.

SURVEY

Favorite Ecuadorian Dish

We took the survey among our friends and family. We interviewed forty eight people.
•Twenty three percent of the interviewed likes Ceviches* (shrimps, fish, clams).
•Eight percent of the interviewed likes Arroz con menestra** (with steak, pork or chicken)
•Nineteen percent of the interviewed likes Seco de pollo***
•Thirteen percent of the interviewed likes Encebollados****
•Thirty eight percent of these people prefers other Ecuadorian dishes.

HOW TO....

LET'S PREPARE CEBICHE DE CAMARÓN AND ECUADORIAN FANESCA


SHRIMP CEBICHE

Ingredients:

1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and not veins
2 small onions, colorful, sliced super thin
4 tomatoes, sliced
The juice of 10 lemons
Juice of one orange
½ cup tomato sauce
1 bunch of cilantro or coriander, finely chopped
Salt and oil


Preparation:
1. Mix all ingredients and let stand in refrigerator at least an hour.
2. Serve with pepper, crackpots, or patacones canguil




ECUADORIAN FANESCA


Ingredients:
2 pounds of dried cod
6 cups chopped fresh sambo in squares, about 2 ½ lbs. (you can substitute with zucchini)
6 cups pumpkin or squash
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
4 cups cooked and peeled fava beans
4 cups sweet corn husking and cooking
3 cups cooked peas
2 cups cooked white beans
2 cups cooked white beans or bean
2 cups peeled chochos
2 cups cooked rice (cook in plenty of water to make it very soft)
8 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground achiote
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup chopped white onion
1 cup chopped red onion
10 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups roasted peanuts
12 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
12 oz cream cheese
1 cup cheese (can use feta cheese)
6 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro or parsley
Salt to taste
Companions - slices of boiled egg, fried ripe bananas, cheese, pepper strips or a good Aji criollo, pickled white onions, pies and cakes or wind.


Preparation:

Soak the dried cod for 24 hours, changing water every 6 to 8 hours, the soaking water should be less and less salt, cut the end of soaking cod in medium pieces.
Cook the pumpkin sambo and separately, with only a little water, cook until soft and tender, Cierna licúelos and water until pureed.
Bring to a boil some water with chopped cabbage for about 3 minutes, add cabbage and Cierna the mashed pumpkin and sambo.
Melt butter in a large soup pot and add the chopped onion, garlic, achiote, cumin, oregano and pepper to prepare a rehash, cook until onions are tender, about 5 minutes.
Flatten and add rice to make a thick puree or sauce, add the mashed sambo, pumpkin and cabbage, mix well.
Add 4 cups of milk and beans, corn, white beans and beans, mix well and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning the ingredients.
Meanwhile, bring to a boil 6 cups of milk with cod, boil for 8-10 minutes.
Add milk and cod to the soup or Cierna just add milk and the milk, keeping the fish for frying until golden brown on each side and serve with the soup at the end. Try the soup and add salt if needed.
Liquefaction of roasted peanuts 2 cups milk, add this sauce to the soup and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Entre5 and 10 minutes before serving add the fanesca chochos, cream and cheese, stir and mix well to dissolve the cheese.
At the end add the chopped cilantro or parsley, taste and correct the salt.
The fanesca Serve with pieces of fried cod (if not added previously), slices of boiled eggs, fried ripe bananas, cheese, pepper strips or a good Aji criollo, pickled white onions, pies and cakes or wind.

Recipes and pictures taken from Laylita website