At first glance we thought Espumilla, sold from carts in street corners throughout Ecuador, was an icy treat, but it turns out that is all an illusion. Espumilla (which means “foam” in Spanish) is actually a meringue made from egg whites, sugar and guava juice – served at room temperature. How’s that for a trick? Espumilla is often displayed in huge vats (as seen below), and then is scooped into typical ice cream cones to munch on while you explore the city. Espumilla requires few ingredients, and can be made at home. Laylita’s Recipes, a site with tons of great Ecuadorian recipes, has a simple recipe for Espumilla, of you have guavas on hand.
Espumilla in Cuenca, Ecuador by Carsten ten Brink
When we were visiting La Unica (
For mains, L ordered the Vegetarian Llapingacho ($12.95) which was a potato pancake topped with peanut sauce and a fried egg. Alongside the pancake came a veritable garden of avocado, a green salad, plantains and rice. Even tucked into the side of the plate was a humita. Holy portions! The Llapingacho seemed like a bigger version of the Tortilla de Papa, with the same cheese filling and peanut sauce, which was a little disappointing, but all of the elements on the plate came together to enhance the pancake, even the slightly runny egg, which I am not usually a fan of. For his main course, M ordered the Fritanga ($13.95), a dish of pan-fried pork with sweet plantains, white hominy and corn. The pork was bit fatty for his taste, but still had great flavor. He was especially excited by the appearance of ‘big corn’ or choclo kernels mixed in with the hominy on the plate – a staple of Peruvian food. The portions at La Peña are outrageous, and totally gut busting, so I would definitely say you get what you pay for.
Right in the back of the restaurant was a small stage, which was being fitted with amps and microphones as we ate. At around 7 the live music started, and a live a band played Salsa Romantica hits from the likes Eddie Santiago. They were actually pretty good, the only problem was that the music was a bit loud, but we knew that coming in, so no big surprise. Our first foray into Ecuadorian food was deemed a success. It’s kind of the heartier sister of the more cosmopolitan Peruvian food, and if you are feeling the need to Carbo-load, you know you’ve found the right place.
Eating The World 
