fantastic video! just tripped over it lookin around for info on Zaruma.. will be there in about 3 weeks, thinking about it for low-key retirement spot!
So thrilled to helped you. I also have videos on Loja, Vilcabamba, and Cuenca right now but I'm moving from 2 videos a week to three very soon if you have other towns you're interested in.
@@ayngelina Thank you! Wanting to stay under 5500 ft elevation so that drops a lot of territory! Also checking out Vilca as well, but loving the look of Zaruma even better, lower elevation even. Is it easy to get out onto hiking trails around Zaruma, without owning a car? I'm all about the hiking w rivers and trees, fabulous food, clean water and air, and super interesting culture!
@@mars54mars54 I'm not sure what the hiking opportunities are like there. I guess it would depend on where you lived but I think it could be tough to get around without a car. If you're looking to go car free and don't want to be in Cuenca I think Loja is a more low key option, has a good bus system and has beautiful views.
Zaruma is one of the most amazing places gastronomy and architecture/nature wise. Tigrillo originated there and it is indescriptible how good it is, and what they called bolón de mani in the video is also called molido de maní, you only get it in Zaruma, their coffee is hands down the best in Ecuador. I am saddened that you couldn’t try the manjar (dulce de leche) when they just finish doing it in a big copper paila (pan) it’s very traditional and yummy.
It was disappointing but I also understand that things are unpredictable right now and do for some businesses to survive they had to take a period of closure. But I hope to go back in the future and try some things I missed.
As you know and even mentioned. Zaruma is a mining town. Unfortunately a sinkhole opened downtown and swallowed some houses. Apparently illegal mining for gold caused it.
I saw that. It's really sad because Zaruma is so beautiful and it could easily be a UNESCO heritage site as it's so unique. But it needs to be protected.
Your videos are fantastic! However, I'm always starving after watching! Do you carry Aji in your pocket just in case?😀 Thanks so much for taking us with you.
Hahaha I am just finishing a video now of Mindo where at the end we're eating and I realize I've forgotten to ask them to aji! Devastating! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment with your kind words. And if there's a region you want to know about I'm heading out on another road trip soon so let me know and I'll try to fit in it. 😊
@@ayngelina What took you so long to respond?🤣 Any chance you could go to a coffee plantation (assuming they exist)? I was shocked when they served instant coffee! Otherwise, anything involving seafood is great! Stay safe and thanks again for doing your wonderful videos!
@@tzipporahwilliams2666 Ha! You caught me at the perfect time. Yes coffee plantations do exist and I really want to feature one. The same for chocolate, which is primarily on the coast. I don't understand why the Andes has such a serious coffee culture, where you would NEVER get instant and yet it's the standard along the coast.
Es el mejor tigrillo, porque es un plato procedente de zaruma. Mi abuelita que era de ahí, nos preparaba en el desayuno . Antes, hace unos 15 años no lo conocían en el resto del país, y poco a poco se fue conociendo la gastronomía de zaruma a tal punto que hasta el chef del hotel Hilton en Guayaquil lo prepara en el menú de desayuno, así mismo ocurre con el Bolon de maní. Me quedé sorprendida que nuestra gastronomía ya está en un hotel 5 estrellas.
@@ayngelina Lo que lo hace diferente es que en zaruma elaboran un queso delicioso, los huevos que utilizan son criollos, es decir ellos mismo alimentan a las gallinas con maíz y no con balanceado, y los plátanos también son producidos por ellos sin químicos. Lo mismo pasa con el mani, ellos lo siembra, luego lo tuestan y muelen, osea sin preservantes ni químicos, todo es orgánico y se siente en el sabor. El café también es sembrado y producido ahí, luego lo tuestan y lo pasan x un filtro, y x eso me sorprendió que te sirvieran café instantáneo, porque ahí todas las familias consumen café local y filtrado, pero bueno, siempre hay excepciones.
Were these places closed when you were there as a result of Covid or the time of year? If time of year, when then, would be the best time to visit? Is the city walkable? Are taxi’s easily available? Thanks for any info, tips, or comment.
It was because of COVID but the city is good all year around and has the most action on weekends. Some things require a car or taxi which your hotel or Airbnb host can call and its located on a mountain so there are some hills but downtown is pretty good and the Republican architecture is lovely.
Ayngelina, I enjoy watching your travel V-logs with my girlfriend. We love your segment on local food. I would love to take her sometime, but both of us are on a low-carb diet. Do special orders upset the chefs?
Thank you so much! I don't think special orders upset Ecuadorians, it just depends on if they can accommodate them. At small restaurants with traditional food they love their carbs - it's usually two sides of carbs - rice, potatoes, corn or plantain. So you can just tell them you don't want that. But in most of Latin America, a traditional restaurant doesn't really do salad. It's actually hilarious because it will say something is accompanied by salad and then its a handful of cabbage with one slice of cucumber and one slice of cucumber. So you can say no carb anywhere, but they may not have anything to replace it in the small spots. In the market you order things separately so you can still try all the dishes that are low carb and just eat veggies later. Personally I get a vegetable juice at the market to make up for the lack of veggies. You can just tell them what you want in a juice and they'll blend it all together for less than $2. Also, Ecuador is also really modern in the cities and Ecuadorians don't just eat traditional food. So there are lots of international restaurants and places that cater to travelers and expats when you're craving something familiar.
@@ayngelina When we visit, the meat dishes - Chugchucarasas, ceviche, cuy asado, fritada and lechon, etc. are going on my plate. I can eat low-carb veggies like green, white and red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, spinach and kale. Unfortunately, I can't eat the 300 varieties of potatoes, zanahorias, and many of the sugary fruit like bananas, plantains, mango, etc. I can eat fatty fruits like avocado, coconuts and olives. I would love to find more fatty fruits. I'm also interested in the tree tomato / tamarillo. I would love to try soups anchochas.
@@WA4OSH So for fruits, you should definitely try tree tomato, it's a popular juice too. Naranjilla you can probably have as well. There are more than one kind of avocado here and with many dishes it's considered essential so you're in luck. I would just say, expect traditional huecas to have a "no substitution" policy - simply because they'd have nothing to substitute and run a lean business. I'll keep you in mind though as I continue to travel. Along the coast there are some great low carb dishes coming up if you like seafood.
Ni de broma voy por ahí nuevamente. Con el gran susto que viví con un socavón. Casi me traga la tierra. Es un campo minando debido a la minería legal de sus propios ciudadanos. La minería ilegal y legal tienen el subterráneo de la tierra en peligro inmenso. Zaruma podría hundirse en cualquier momento! Que pena!
For the last 11 years I've traveled the world writing about food on my website Baconismagic.ca and I've never been sick. I don't have any issues eating produce in Ecuador as people do wash it and outside cities where you can drink the water they are good about using filtered water. The only thing I'm hesitant to eat in Ecuador because so many locals get sick from it is espumilla. I really want to try it but I have to find a vendor that I know I can trust.
Love Ecuador? You'll adore these Ecuador t-shirts: ecuador.myspreadshop.com/
Por supuesto que el mejor tigrillo es de Zaruma y fue declarado patrimonio del Ecuador y el café es súper delicioso 🤤
Siii creo que vale la pena para ir a Zaruma solo por su tigrillo!
Ecuadorian architecture is gorgeous! "Miner" food is a good way to put it! All those food looks incredible. 2 starches per meal.
😲
I need to start hiking more because these 2 starch meals are too delicious to pass up.
Amazing how you manage to eat all that food and stay fit at the same time.
Not going to lie, I've been eating two starches at every meal a bit too often lately!
JUst great,you amaze me on how you narrate every item......so impressing....it does make me hungry.
I think the story behind the food is just as important as the taste. I'm so happy you appreciate that.
fantastic video! just tripped over it lookin around for info on Zaruma.. will be there in about 3 weeks, thinking about it for low-key retirement spot!
So thrilled to helped you. I also have videos on Loja, Vilcabamba, and Cuenca right now but I'm moving from 2 videos a week to three very soon if you have other towns you're interested in.
@@ayngelina Thank you! Wanting to stay under 5500 ft elevation so that drops a lot of territory! Also checking out Vilca as well, but loving the look of Zaruma even better, lower elevation even. Is it easy to get out onto hiking trails around Zaruma, without owning a car? I'm all about the hiking w rivers and trees, fabulous food, clean water and air, and super interesting culture!
@@mars54mars54 I'm not sure what the hiking opportunities are like there. I guess it would depend on where you lived but I think it could be tough to get around without a car. If you're looking to go car free and don't want to be in Cuenca I think Loja is a more low key option, has a good bus system and has beautiful views.
GREAT. Enjoy.
Zaruma is one of the most amazing places gastronomy and architecture/nature wise. Tigrillo originated there and it is indescriptible how good it is, and what they called bolón de mani in the video is also called molido de maní, you only get it in Zaruma, their coffee is hands down the best in Ecuador. I am saddened that you couldn’t try the manjar (dulce de leche) when they just finish doing it in a big copper paila (pan) it’s very traditional and yummy.
It was disappointing but I also understand that things are unpredictable right now and do for some businesses to survive they had to take a period of closure. But I hope to go back in the future and try some things I missed.
Boy I envy you. All that great food. Looks delicious.
Just wait until you see the food on the coast.
As you know and even mentioned. Zaruma is a mining town. Unfortunately a sinkhole opened downtown and swallowed some houses. Apparently illegal mining for gold caused it.
I saw that. It's really sad because Zaruma is so beautiful and it could easily be a UNESCO heritage site as it's so unique. But it needs to be protected.
Bolon de maní , never seen that, sound delicious 😋
OMG delicious dishes.
The tigrillo was one of the best I've had.
Another excellent video. Your love for food almost surpasses mine. :-)
Haha I would agree, but you have to get off the burrito bowls and start trying Ecuadorian food!
Ecuador gives you plenty of
opportunities to sample delicious food.
Any towns that you would recommend
Love my country thanks for the great video
Thank you so much. I was so sad to see what happened in Zaruma this week
@@ayngelina yeah me too
2:45 - "This meat is SO tender". -- How did you do that? That was best ventriloquist act I have ever seen. Jeff Dunham, eat your heart out!
The magical world of editing. You'll see a bit of that throughout my videos when I have multiple tales and none of them quite work.
Saludos desde Guayaquil Ecuador 🇪🇨🥰, gracias por mostrar los lugares más bonitos de mi país.
Gracias Sara! Tengo videos desde Guayaquil en dos semanas. Me encanta la comida alla!
Your videos are fantastic! However, I'm always starving after watching! Do you carry Aji in your pocket just in case?😀 Thanks so much for taking us with you.
Hahaha I am just finishing a video now of Mindo where at the end we're eating and I realize I've forgotten to ask them to aji! Devastating! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment with your kind words. And if there's a region you want to know about I'm heading out on another road trip soon so let me know and I'll try to fit in it. 😊
@@ayngelina What took you so long to respond?🤣 Any chance you could go to a coffee plantation (assuming they exist)? I was shocked when they served instant coffee! Otherwise, anything involving seafood is great! Stay safe and thanks again for doing your wonderful videos!
@@tzipporahwilliams2666 Ha! You caught me at the perfect time. Yes coffee plantations do exist and I really want to feature one. The same for chocolate, which is primarily on the coast. I don't understand why the Andes has such a serious coffee culture, where you would NEVER get instant and yet it's the standard along the coast.
Es el mejor tigrillo, porque es un plato procedente de zaruma. Mi abuelita que era de ahí, nos preparaba en el desayuno . Antes, hace unos 15 años no lo conocían en el resto del país, y poco a poco se fue conociendo la gastronomía de zaruma a tal punto que hasta el chef del hotel Hilton en Guayaquil lo prepara en el menú de desayuno, así mismo ocurre con el Bolon de maní. Me quedé sorprendida que nuestra gastronomía ya está en un hotel 5 estrellas.
No me sorprende. Conduje hasta Zaruma solo para probar el tigrillo! 😍
@@ayngelina Lo que lo hace diferente es que en zaruma elaboran un queso delicioso, los huevos que utilizan son criollos, es decir ellos mismo alimentan a las gallinas con maíz y no con balanceado, y los plátanos también son producidos por ellos sin químicos. Lo mismo pasa con el mani, ellos lo siembra, luego lo tuestan y muelen, osea sin preservantes ni químicos, todo es orgánico y se siente en el sabor. El café también es sembrado y producido ahí, luego lo tuestan y lo pasan x un filtro, y x eso me sorprendió que te sirvieran café instantáneo, porque ahí todas las familias consumen café local y filtrado, pero bueno, siempre hay excepciones.
Were these places closed when you were there as a result of Covid or the time of year? If time of year, when then, would be the best time to visit? Is the city walkable? Are taxi’s easily available? Thanks for any info, tips, or comment.
It was because of COVID but the city is good all year around and has the most action on weekends. Some things require a car or taxi which your hotel or Airbnb host can call and its located on a mountain so there are some hills but downtown is pretty good and the Republican architecture is lovely.
So, for a room with only one bed @ $30 where did Andreas sleep? 🤔
We always look for double beds.
15:14 and 'pan de yuca' is gluten free 🤗
No, pero vale la pena comerlos, son muy ricos rellenos de queso, siempre acompañamos con yogurt natural. Para mi es una golosina, lo como de postre.
Ayngelina, I enjoy watching your travel V-logs with my girlfriend. We love your segment on local food. I would love to take her sometime, but both of us are on a low-carb diet. Do special orders upset the chefs?
Thank you so much! I don't think special orders upset Ecuadorians, it just depends on if they can accommodate them.
At small restaurants with traditional food they love their carbs - it's usually two sides of carbs - rice, potatoes, corn or plantain. So you can just tell them you don't want that.
But in most of Latin America, a traditional restaurant doesn't really do salad. It's actually hilarious because it will say something is accompanied by salad and then its a handful of cabbage with one slice of cucumber and one slice of cucumber.
So you can say no carb anywhere, but they may not have anything to replace it in the small spots.
In the market you order things separately so you can still try all the dishes that are low carb and just eat veggies later. Personally I get a vegetable juice at the market to make up for the lack of veggies. You can just tell them what you want in a juice and they'll blend it all together for less than $2.
Also, Ecuador is also really modern in the cities and Ecuadorians don't just eat traditional food. So there are lots of international restaurants and places that cater to travelers and expats when you're craving something familiar.
@@ayngelina When we visit, the meat dishes - Chugchucarasas, ceviche, cuy asado, fritada and lechon, etc. are going on my plate. I can eat low-carb veggies like green, white and red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, spinach and kale. Unfortunately, I can't eat the 300 varieties of potatoes, zanahorias, and many of the sugary fruit like bananas, plantains, mango, etc. I can eat fatty fruits like avocado, coconuts and olives. I would love to find more fatty fruits. I'm also interested in the tree tomato / tamarillo. I would love to try soups anchochas.
Oh and save us a cup of coffee!
@@WA4OSH So for fruits, you should definitely try tree tomato, it's a popular juice too. Naranjilla you can probably have as well. There are more than one kind of avocado here and with many dishes it's considered essential so you're in luck. I would just say, expect traditional huecas to have a "no substitution" policy - simply because they'd have nothing to substitute and run a lean business. I'll keep you in mind though as I continue to travel. Along the coast there are some great low carb dishes coming up if you like seafood.
All the Ecuador travel + food videos here --> bit.ly/Ecuador_Videos Where should I go next?
Hello
Xin Chao
Hi
Ni de broma voy por ahí nuevamente. Con el gran susto que viví con un socavón. Casi me traga la tierra. Es un campo minando debido a la minería legal de sus propios ciudadanos. La minería ilegal y legal tienen el subterráneo de la tierra en peligro inmenso. Zaruma podría hundirse en cualquier momento! Que pena!
nooooo eso es aterrador!
Your stomach does get upset at the beginning? You eat all over the place. How about intestinal parasites from lettuce and stuff?
For the last 11 years I've traveled the world writing about food on my website Baconismagic.ca and I've never been sick. I don't have any issues eating produce in Ecuador as people do wash it and outside cities where you can drink the water they are good about using filtered water.
The only thing I'm hesitant to eat in Ecuador because so many locals get sick from it is espumilla. I really want to try it but I have to find a vendor that I know I can trust.