How do you like your pork?

Hornado de Chancho in Cuenca, Ecuador

Ecuadorans are proud of their “comidas typicas” (typical foods) which vary by region – coast, highlands, and the Amazon. The favored regional pork dishes are examples of comidas typicas. On the coast and in the highlands, the pork dish is called Hornado de Chancho. The coastal version of Hornado de Chancho is a pork leg that is cooked in the oven.

In Cuenca, which is in the highlands, the Hornado de Chancho is the entire pig cooked whole. The crisp outer skin - I think they call it “cascaritas” - is a delicacy; a blow-torch cooking apparatus is used to crisp the skin and layers of meat. In the market, the vendors use their hands to pull the meat from the whole pig.

In other areas of the highlands, the regional pork dish is called “Fritada.” The Fritada is cooked in a large pan over an open fire. They start out boiling the pork and pork fat in water, but eventually the water evaporates and the pork is fried in its own fat with salt, white onions, and garlic.

The beginnings of a Fritada meal.
Pork and pork fat in boiling water.




We enjoyed this meal of fritada with friends in Pallatanga.

 

A plate of fritada, platano, choclo, potatoes with onion sauce, and habas.

The fritada is traditionally served with a large white corn called choclo, potatoes with an onion sauce that is made with bread, milk, butter and salt, and cooked habas (I think this is a type of fava bean).  Mike and I had a wonderful fritada meal with friends in Pallatanga. I’m not sure where the pork came from, but we watched Marietta, the cook, prepare the meal from start to finish, and we decided that the pork was fried enough that it would be safe to eat. The meal was delicious!

Fritada in Mindo, Ecuador

These fritada stands are typical of eateries that you see on the sides of roads throughout ecuador. Some of the stands may have a plastic table or two for customers to sit and enjoy their meal.



This fritada stand is somewhere on the road between Mindo and Guayaquil.
Sometimes the stands will hang the whole pig.