All aboard the international cruise of flavors.......This crazy cruise ship has embarked upon a world tour, with curious and hungry cachers aboard. The itinerary is every country in the world, one restaurant at a time, all without leaving the confines of Central New Jersey. 61st Stop ... Ecuador!
Join the Central Jersey Cachers as we venture to South America!
Tuesday, July 18 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
La Ronda Restaurant
27-E Greenbrook Rd.
North Plainfield, NJ
Enjoy delicious food and good company as this wacky cruise ship voyages across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Panama Canal to the South American country of Ecuador!
Ecuadorian cuisine is diverse, varying with altitude, and associated agricultural conditions. Beef, chicken, and seafood are popular in the coastal regions and are typically served with carbohydrate-rich foods, such as rice accompanied with lentils, pasta, or plantain. In the mountainous regions of the Andes, pork, chicken, beef and cuy (guinea pig) are popular and are often served with rice, corn, or potatoes. A popular street food in mountainous regions is hornado, consisting of potatoes served with roasted pig.
Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine include patacones (unripe plantains fried in oil, mashed up, and then refried), llapingachos (a pan-seared potato ball), and seco de chivo (a type of stew made from goat). The food is somewhat different in the southern mountainous areas, featuring typical Loja food such as repe, a soup prepared with green bananas; cecina, roasted pork; and miel con quesillo, or "cuajada", as dessert. In the rainforest, a dietary staple is the yuca, elsewhere called cassava. The starchy root is peeled and boiled, fried, or used in a variety of other dishes. Across the nation it's also used as a bread, pan de yuca, and its often eaten with different types of drinkable yogurt.
These are some traditional Ecuadorian dishes:
Hornado - This spit roasted pig is a dish that is often found at family celebrations and larger events. The pork is usually carved freshly from the pig and served with salad, fried plantain slices or llapingacho, fried potato cakes.
Ceviche - One of the most popular dishes in South America, Ecuador’s ceviche recipe is different from other countries such as Peru. Fish and seafood are cooked before they are marinated in the acid of the lime juice. Ecuador ceviche is served with fried green plantain slices or popcorn.
Langostinos - There are many different ways to enjoy shrimp in Ecuador. In the coastal areas shrimp are one of the staples, whether in a ceviche or grilled on the barbecue.
Llapingachos - This Ecuadorian food is often used as a side dish, and also frequently eaten as snacks. Llapingachos are small patties of grated potato, cheese and seasoning that are fried. They are very common in the Andean region of Ecuador, often as a side dish with hornado.
Patacones - Fried green plantains. Patacones are used as the main starch along the coast of Ecuador in places like Canoa where they are sliced or smashed and then fried.
Encebollado - A fish stew that is found in the coastal region of Ecuador. Encebollado is usually made with albacore, tuna or bonito, and is cooked with cassava and red onion to make a hearty dish that is often eaten for breakfast. Ecuadorians swear that Encebollado is the best cure for a hangover.
Mote con Chicharron - Ecuadorian food includes a lot of inexpensive snacks. Mote is similar to hominy and is peeled, boiled and served with pork in Ecuador. Together they make for an indulgent and tasty meal that really works with the flavor of the pork rinds.
Pescado Encocado - One of the great tastes of the coastal region of Ecuador, pescado encocado is a dish of fish cooked in coconut milk. The fish is then combined with tomatoes and bell peppers, which is then often served with white rice and fried plantain slices.
Carne en Palito - Similar to the shish kebab, carne en palito is made by placing chunks of beef on to wooden skewers. The meat is seasoned with garlic, cumin and achiote before it is grilled. This Ecuadorian food is commonly found at food stalls at fairs and local events.
Seco de Chivo - This goat stew is made with onions, green peppers, tomatoes and occasionally tart fruit juice.
Menestra - A stew that is made with lentils or beans, where the legumes are cooked with onions, tomatoes, garlic and chili powder. Menestra can either be vegetarian, served with an egg or chunks of meat.
World Culinary Cruise Itinerary
1 - Mexico - July 16, 2012
2 - Greece - August 23, 2012
3 - Japan - September 12, 2012
4 - India - October 11, 2012
5 - Russia - November 14, 2012
6 - Poland - December 5, 2012
7 - Ireland - January 22, 2013
8 - France - February 26, 2013
9 - Spain - March 13, 2013
10 - Thailand - April 30, 2013
11 - Portugal - May 28, 2013
12 - United States of America - June 4, 2013
13 - Afghanistan - July 11, 2013
14 - Egypt - August 6, 2013
15 - United Kingdom - September 18, 2013
16 - Sweden - October 16, 2013
17 - Peru - November 6, 2013
18 - Germany - December 20, 2013
19 - Ghana - January 7, 2014
20 - Polynesia - February 19, 2014
21 - Sri Lanka - March 13, 2014
22 - Korea - April 22, 2014
23 - Jamaica - May 22, 2014
24 - Vietnam - June 25, 2014
25 - Mexico - July 23, 2014
26 - Mongolia - August 19, 2014
27 - Persia - September 17, 2014
28 - Philippines - October 15, 2014
29 - Dominican Republic - November 19, 2014
30 - Trinidad - December 10, 2014
31 - Nigeria - January 20, 2015
32 - Lebanon - February 18, 2015
33 - Cuba - March 24, 2015
34 - Brazil - April 21, 2015
35 - Turkey - May 27, 2015
36 - Hungary - June 6, 2015
37 - Canada - July 15, 2015
38 - Guyana - August 31, 2015
39 - Ethiopia - September 8, 2015
40 - Pakistan - October 14, 2015
41 - Columbia - November 24, 2015
42 - Malaysia - December 8, 2015
43 - Argentina - January 20, 2016
44 - Cameroon - February 17, 2016
45 - Taiwan - March 22, 2016
46 - Morocco - April 26, 2016
47 - Costa Rica - May 18, 2016
48 - Uruguay - June 15, 2016
49 - Angola & Mozambique - July 12, 2016
50 - Haiti - August 30, 2016
51 - El Salvador - September 21, 2016
52 - Uzbekistan - October 19, 2016
53 - Puerto Rico - November 29, 2016
54 - Bangladesh - December 13, 2016
55 - Scotland - January 24, 2017
56 - Guatemala - February 22, 2017
57 - Venezuela - March 28, 2017
58 - Indonesia - April 26, 2017
59 - Syria - May 23, 2017
60 - Italy - June 13, 2017
61 - Ecuador - July 18, 2017
Follow our culinary adventures throughout Central New Jersey with "The Suitcase of Destiny" and chart our virtual cruise around the world with the "World Travel Geocoin."
Where will this ship pull into port next? Only the pink flamingo knows....
