TASTING QUITO

BY JILL GLEESON

THIS GATEWAY TO ECUADOR IS AN ENTHRALLING PLACE TO DELIGHT ALL YOUR SENSES, ESPECIALLY THAT OF TASTE

I’m embarrassed to admit my recent, abbreviated stay in Quito was an afterthought; a few days I tacked on to the front of a Galapagos trip with no more consideration or anticipation than the half-formed notion, “since I have to fly into there anyway…” But the sights and sounds – and the tastes, too – of the Ecuadorian capital remain cherished in my memory.

Before I arrived, I only had the barest of plans for my time in the city – just a room in a boutique hotel tucked away within a beautifully restored colonial house in La Mariscal. I was happy to find in the morning that it served a nice selection of dishes for breakfast, but I only had eyes for the fruit. Mango, papaya, starfruit, passion fruit… There were also several I was unfamiliar with, including granadilla. A member of the passion fruit family, it has a hard, shiny orange-colored rind, with strangely gelatinous flesh filled with black seeds. But its sweet, subtle taste is far more enjoyable than its texture. Apparently, it’s good for digestion, as well.

That was excellent news because I was slightly queasy, no doubt a result of Quito’s soaring elevation. Located in the Andes mountains nearly 6,560 feet above sea level, it’s the world’s second-highest capital. It’s also built on the ruins of an ancient Inca city, my guide Pablo told me, with a historic center that dates back half a millennium to the time of the Spanish conquistadors.

We started our tour with a stroll through the curving, pedestrian-only La Ronda, a long-time magnet for the city’s bohemians. The cobblestone street’s brightly hued, 18th-century buildings have been restored to their former glory, and contain a festive assortment of galleries, craft shops, restaurants and bars.

I could have lingered on La Ronda for hours, but Pablo ushered me on toward Plaza de la Independencia, Quito’s biggest and oldest public square. Bordered by the Cathedral and the Presidential, Municipal and Archbishop’s palaces, with an impressive central monument celebrating Ecuador’s independence from Spain, the plaza was even more notable for the fascinating mix of humans within.

TEXTILE MARKET, QUITO, ECUADOR

© KSENIYA RAGOZINA

Students, businessmen, buskers and other locals selling everything from peacock feathers to boiled eggs all loitered peaceably together under the palm trees. I had a moment to grin at the glorious spectacle before following Pablo into the Centro Cultural Metropolitano, housed in a restored building that was once, variously, Jesuit headquarters, a prison, a tobacco factory, and a mint. Today, it provides space for the municipal library, art exhibits and, most crucially to my growling stomach, a café.

I asked Pablo what the best Ecuadorian dish was on the menu, and without hesitation he replied, “Fanesca.”

“It’s a stew, or thick soup, really served only at Lent, so you’re lucky that you get to try it,” he explained. “They do a really good version here. Of course, just about everyone makes it a little bit different, and it takes days to do it right.”

According to Pablo, there are 12 different legumes or grains in the soup, which represent the 12 apostles – although the dish pre-dates the arrival of Christianity in the region and might have been prepared during harvest as a way of giving thanks to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. Typically, it includes salt cod and a milk base, as well as peas, beans of several sorts, lentils, and corn.

Mine came laden with hard boiled eggs, empanadas, parsley, and peanuts. I thought I detected a very slight pumpkin taste, as well as the flavor of fried onions and garlic, though no seasoning overwhelmed the others.

When I think of all the activities I managed to undertake during my short time in Quito, there was none that gave me a better peek at the Ecuadorian culture than eating fanesca with Pablo.

TRADITIONAL FANESCA STEW