Ecuador

Ecuador's culture

An Ecuadorian's day, at least as far as his or her diet is concerned, is centred around lunch, rather than dinner as in Western cultures.

There is no one food that is especially Ecuadorian, as cuisine varies from region to region of the country. For example, costeños (people from the coast) prefer fish, beans and rice, while serranos from the mountainous regions prefer meat, corn and potatoes. Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine in general include patacones, unripe bananas fried in oil, mashed up and then refried, and seco de chivo, a type of stew made from goat.

Language

Most Ecuadorians speak Spanish, though many speak Amerindian languages such as Quechua.

Though most features of Ecuadorian Spanish are universal in the Spanish-speaking world. Costeños tend to speak more quickly than serranos. Whistling, yelling or yawning to get someone's attention is considered rude.

Many gestures are used in Ecuador, including the lifting of the chin to indicate "up the street" when giving directions, and lowering of the chin to indicate "down the street".

Ecuador travel tours