Cuenca Cuisine: Andean Corn, Pork & Colonial Flavours
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Cuenca Cuisine: Andean Corn, Pork & Colonial Flavours

Cuenca's cuisine is the most sophisticated expression of Andean highland cooking — the mote (dried corn), the cuy (guinea pig), and the hornado (whole roasted pig) are prepared with a refinement that reflects the city's history as the cultural capital of the Ecuadorian sierra

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    Fashion Pill

    Mote pillo - dried Andean corn (mote) cooked with eggs, onions and lard - is Cuenca's most beloved everyday dish; the nutty, chewy corn and soft egg make for a sustaining breakfast or lunch that is quintessentially Cuencan; the best mote pillon is made from freshly ground lard from the pig market

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    Hornado (whole roasted pig)

    Hornado - a whole pig slow-roasted over charcoal for hours, enriched with achiote and beer - is the centerpiece of Cuenca's weekend market food; the crackling skin (cuero), the soft pork and the accompaniment of mote, llapingacho and ají make it Ecuador's finest pork preparation

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    Cuy (roasted guinea pig)

    Cuy — the roasted guinea pig served whole on a wooden skewer — is the Cuenca region's most traditional dish; the animals are raised in highland homes and grilled over charcoal; the meat is rich and flavorful; eating cuy requires technique (pulling the meat from the little bones)

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    Llapingachos

    Llapingachos — potato cakes filled with cheese, fried until golden — are the Andean highlands' most satisfying side dish; the combination of the crispy exterior, the cheese side and the accompanying ají sauce and curtido (pickled onions) is perfectly balanced

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    Chicha de Jora

    Chicha de jora — fermented corn beer — is the ancient fermented drink of the Andes, used in ceremonies and daily life since the Incas; the region of Cuenca produces chicha in traditional clay pots; the drink's mildly acidic, slightly alcoholic character is an acquired taste deeply embedded in Andean culture

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    Cuenca Market Restaurants

    The market restaurants in Cuenca – especially in the Mercado 10 de Agosto and the nearby market halls – serve the best traditional Andean food; the set lunch (almuerzo) of soup, seco (stew) and mote for a few dollars is unbeatable value and cultural immersion

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