Ecuadorian Street Food: Tortillas de maiz
Due to its location, the country has bountiful seafood, fruits, and vegetables, making eating an important part of the experience tourists get when visiting.
There is no doubt that gastronomy is an important element of culture.
While some street food can be found in every city or region, others are unique to specific cities.
Today we want to share one of the traditional street foods, and one you must try, tortilla de maiz.
About tortilla de maiz
Some of the street food is made with corn which is a staple part of the diet for many indigenous communities in the country’s highlands.
Tortillas de maiz are a mixture of corn flour or ground corn, salt, sugar, egg, butter, lard, and yeast, toasted over firewood.
Part of the delicious flavor of tortillas de maiz comes from toasting them on a clay pot over firewood without adding oil.
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What it tastes like
Tortillas de maiz taste a bit like bread but more like pita bread with a distinct corn flavor.
How and where to eat tortillas de maiz
The best way to eat corn tortillas is together with a nice cup of coffee or cocoa, and even with dulce de leche on top or a slice of cheese.
These corn flour tortillas can be found in most parts of the country, especially in Ecuador’s highlands.
If you want to try these tortillas, you can buy them at local fairs, bus stops, local markets, and popular tourist destinations.
This recipe has been passed along through several generations and is now considered a gastronomic heritage.
While writing this blog post we found out that they are known as arepas in Venezuela and Colombia, while in Ecuador, they are tortillas.
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Have you tasted tortilla de maiz? Leave your comment below!
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