The empanada is a popular snack in many countries across Latin America. Its name derives from the Galician word empanar, which means "to bread" or "to wrap in bread." Many former Spanish colonies, including Ecuador, Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, and the Philippines, have adopted it as a popular dish.

An empanada is a baked or fried turnover pastry that is made by folding dough over a filling. It can be filled with a variety of ingredients depending on where you get it, such as ground meat, potato, cheese, tomato, hard-boiled egg, raisins, and corn. There are several variations of this traditional food in Ecuador, but the most common is empanada de viento.

Empanada de viento is a fried Ecuadorian empanada filled with cheese (and sometimes onions). It may not sound as interesting as the more elaborate empanadas, but what distinguishes it is the granulated sugar that is sprinkled on top after deep-frying in oil. The combination of stringy cheese, onions, and sugar with the crispy fried pastry shell is heavenly.

If you speak Spanish, you might be wondering how this Ecuadorian-style empanada got its name. Empanadao de viento translates to "wind empanada" and refers to how these fried pastries are mostly filled with air. Apparently, no matter how much cheese you put in them, the empanada puffs up with air, so don't blame your street vendor if yours appears to have more air than cheese!

The most common type of empanada is the empanada de viento, but you can also try empanada de morocho (made with corn flour), empanada de verde (made with green plantains), and empanada de mejido (made with mejido) (made with sweet custard, cheese, and raisins).

Salchipapas is a popular street food dish consisting of thinly sliced pan-fried beef sausages served with a mound of french fries. Originally from Lima, Peru, it has become a popular street food snack in many Latin American countries, including Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.

Salchipapas is a combination of the words salchicha (sausage) and papa (potatoes). It can be topped with ketchup, mustard, or hot sauce and served with a variety of side dishes such as cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, or a fried egg. It's a greasy but tasty dish that's simple to make.

If you want to make this street food classic at home, try this recipe from the popular Ecuadorian food blog Laylita's Recipes. It looks absolutely delicious, topped with tomato onion curtido salsa and homemade salsa rosada! If you intend to travel to Ecuador, Salchipapas is one of the must-try dishes for you.

Llapingachos are Ecuadorian fried potato cakes filled with cheese and made with boiled and mashed potatoes seasoned with onions and spices. The potato patties are grilled until golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside.

These delectable fried potato cakes are typically served with salsa de mani (creamy peanut sauce) and eaten for breakfast or lunch alongside various side dishes such as chorizo sausages, avocados, fried eggs, lettuce, and a pickled red onion and tomato salad. If you like a little heat in your food, try a good drizzle of aji criollo hot sauce on top.

Llapingachos, like humitas, predate Hispanic times and are a delectable example of Ecuadorian Highland cuisine. It gets its name from the Kichwa word llapina, which means "to crush into a soft and mushy consistency." If you intend to travel to Ecuador, Llapingachos is one of the must-try dishes for you.

No Ecuadorian food guide worth its weight in green plantains would be complete without Encebollado de Pescado, a delicious fish soup or stew widely regarded as Ecuador's national dish. Its name literally translates to "oniony fish soup," referring to the pickled red onions used in the soup.

Fresh albacore tuna, yuca (cassava root), tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and spices are commonly used to make encebollado. The base for this delicious fish stew is a sofrito, which is always topped with curtido, an Ecuadorian salsa made with red onion rings and tomatoes pickled with lime juice. Most Ecuadorian meals include a small salad, which is usually curtido.

Encebollado is popular throughout the country, but it is especially popular in Ecuador's coastal regions. It can be eaten at any time of day, and is frequently accompanied by side dishes and condiments such as crunchy plantain chips, toasted corn nuts, avocado slices, and lime juice.

If you visit Ecuador in March or April, you might have the opportunity to try Fanesca, an Ecuadorian Easter soup made with bacalao (dried and salted cod) and a variety of other ingredients. It's a very traditional Ecuadorian dish that's only made once a year to celebrate Easter and Lent.

Fanesca recipes vary, but it's a rich and symbolic soup made with a variety of ingredients such as bacalao cooked in milk, sambo (figleaf gourd), zapallo (pumpkin), mellocos (Andean potatoes), and twelve different types of beans and grains. The bacalao is a representation of Jesus, while the beans are a representation of the twelve apostles. They differ depending on the cook, but common beans and grains include lentils, peas, corn, habas (fava beans), and chochos (lupines).

As if all of those ingredients weren't filling enough, fanesca must be served with a variety of side dishes such as hard-boiled eggs, fried plantains, avocados, hot peppers, queso fresco (fresh cheese), empanadas, and marinated white onions in lime juice. It truly is a special soup fit for a king, hearty and filling, and often the only meal enjoyed by Ecuadorians on Good Friday!

Guaguas de pan, or "bread babies," are these brightly colored little sweet breads. This traditional dish, shaped like babies swaddled in blankets, is made on November 2nd to commemorate El Dia de los Difuntos, or the Day of the Deceased.

Many countries in Latin America, Europe, and the Philippines commemorate the Day of the Deceased in some way. It is intended to pay tribute to the memory of deceased friends and relatives. This is done in Ecuador by making guaguas de pan and colada morada, a purple corn and fresh fruit drink. Guaguas de pan are sweet breads stuffed with sweet fillings and made with a sweet bread dough similar to brioche.Families would bring flowers and food to the cemetery to pay their respects to deceased relatives.

The tradition of making doll-like rolls of bread is thought to have pre-Hispanic origins in Ecuador. An ancient tribe that lived in the area around present-day Quito created corn flour figurines for Aya Marcay Quilla, a celebration honoring deceased ancestors. Guaguas de pan and the commemoration of the dead became intertwined with Spanish traditions and the Catholic church over time.

If hornado isn't enough to satisfy your pig cravings in Ecuador, try fritada de chancho. It refers to a delectable braised pork dish made with pork chunks slowly cooked in an orange juice, onion, garlic, and cumin mixture.

People mistake fritada de chancho for fried pork because of its name, but it is actually braised. The pork is cooked in an orange juice and water mixture until the liquid is reduced and the meat is browned in its own fat. It can be served with a variety of side dishes and sauces in Ecuador, including llapingachos (fried potato cakes), fried plantains, fava beans, corn, and agrio.

In Ecuador, fritada de chancho is a weekend dish. On weekends, people would leave the city and drive to the countryside to eat fritada at village restaurants and roadside eateries known as huequitos. If you intend to travel to Ecuador, Fritada de Chancho is one of the must-try dishes for you.

Seco de chivo is an Ecuadorian goat stew made with browned pieces of goat or sheep meat, garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes, panela (unrefined whole cane sugar), herbs, and spices. After that, a fermented liquid is added to the pot and simmered until it reduces and thickens.

This traditional dish can be made in a variety of ways, all of which revolve around the type of fermented liquid used to make the stew. It can be made with chicha (fermented corn beverage), beer, or naranjilla juice, which is a tart, tomato-like fruit native to Ecuador and Colombia. This liquid is largely responsible for how the dish will eventually taste.

Ecuadorians have different opinions on which liquid is best, but chicha is the most traditional way to make seco de chivo. Whatever it's made of, it's a delicious Ecuadorian dish that's traditionally served with arroz amarillo (yellow rice), fried plantains, and avocado slices.

Ceviche, like roasted guinea pig, is a dish that is traditionally associated with both Ecuador and Peru. It is one of the most important traditional Peruvian and Ecuadorean dishes, consisting of fresh raw fish and other seafood cured in lemon or lime juice.

Ceviche can be made with a variety of raw seafood in Ecuador, but the two most popular are fish ceviche (ceviche de pescado, pictured below) and shrimp ceviche (ceviche de camarón). Ecuadorian fish ceviche is made with sashimi-grade white fish that has been cured in a mixture of lime juice, garlic, and hot peppers. Before serving, it's mixed with lime-marinated red onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro.

Unlike fish ceviche, the shrimp in ceviche de camarón are cooked rather than simply denatured. Before serving, the shrimp are marinated in lime juice and mixed with fresh vegetables such as bell peppers, tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onion.

Other popular Ecuadorian ceviche ingredients include octopus, scallops, oysters, and black clams. Ceviche is popular throughout the country, but it is especially popular in Ecuador's coastal regions. It's frequently accompanied by hot sauce and a variety of side dishes such as chifles (crunchy plantain chips), patacones/tostones (twice-fried plantain chips), and toasted corn nuts.

If you're familiar with Peruvian cuisine, this next dish will come as no surprise. Cuy asado translates as "roasted guinea pig" and refers to a dish of...well, roasted guinea pig! Cuy is a popular food source in Ecuador and Peru, whether roasted, grilled, or fried.

Although guinea pigs are considered pets in North America, they are considered livestock in the Andean region. They have always been raised for their meat, which has been described as similar to rabbit.

Although roasted guinea pig is one of the more unusual Ecuadorian foods on this list, it is an important part of Ecuadorian cuisine and culture. As with any cultural food, it is something you should try if you want to fully immerse yourself in Ecuador.

It's fascinating to learn that before cattle were introduced to Ecuador, guinea pig meat was the primary source of protein for the people. As a result, it was never a regular meal, but rather a status symbol, a luxury that only the wealthy could afford.

Cuy can be prepared in a variety of ways, but one of the most popular and delicious is to roast it over an open charcoal fire.