Christmas tradition and food in Ecuador
Christmas tradition and food in Ecuador
Christmas tradition and food in Ecuador at this time of the year are a combination of food, religious parades, singing, fireworks, and dances. Ecuador is very religious and based on Catholicism. For this reason, Christmas is a big celebration in families.
December 24th is the day of celebration for Christmas. However, nine days before December 25th, each family, school, or friend prays the Novena, which refers to the nine days of preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. On December 25th, we relax, stay at home, watch movies, and eat the meal we left on December 24th.
During the Novena, there are some traditional foods that people eat. For example: pristiño, buñuelo, rompope, mistela, empanadas, tamales, higos con queso.
Christmas tradition and food in Ecuador
Pristiño is a fried pastry dessert with miel de panela (syrup from sugar cane) on the top. Each family makes the pristio into a different shape, such as a flower or crown, as in the picture. It is fried.
Buñuelo is a round shaped pastry with miel de panela and fried as well as pristiño. You add yeast to the flour.
Rompope is a drink with egg yolks, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, and liquor.
Mistela is a liquor with fruits, sugar, and aguardiente (alcohol from sugar cane). At the present time, this liquor is hard to find. Actually, the nuns of the Monastery of Santa Catalina in Old Town make the Mistela with mint, cacao, and strawberries. They only sell on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and Mother’s Day. Mistelas are candies with whisky, ron, or mojito inside.
Empanadas: There are many types: empanadas de viento (for which I wrote the recipe in the last post: How to make Ecuadorian Empanadas), empanadas de morocho (coarsely ground white corn), empanadas de maiz, etc.
Tamal Navideño: It is a Christmas and New Year tradition from Ambato. The tamal is achira leaf (traditional plant from the Andes, we use for tamales, quimbolitos, and other wrapped up foods). They make the tamales with corn flour, panela (unrefined brown sugar cane), chicken, eggs, raisins, olives, and other ingredients.
Higos con queso: It is figs caramelized in a panela-cinnamon syrup with fresh cheese on the side.
Christmas tradition and food in Ecuador
On Christmas Eve, the Pase del Nino parade is a celebration in Quito—Old Town and Cuenca. Local people carry a statue of baby Jesus through the streets. The parade illustrates religious Christmas themes with actors, folklore dancers, musicians, bands, farm animals, and llamas. You will see people on the streets selling pristiños, buñuelos, higos con queso, and other typical Ecuadorian foods.
On December 24th, people get together and make a roasted turkey or pork leg marinated in garlic, onions, and beer. For dessert, pristiños or buñuelos.
In some small towns in the Andes region, they have a dinner with roasted guinea pig, corn, and native grains.
At midnight on Christmas Eve, the Misa del Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) marks the birth of baby Jesus. Some churches are having this service.
Come and enjoy Christmas time in Ecuador and learn how to make the above local dishes in our cooking class in Quito: Cooking Classes in Quito 1 Hour Prepare 2 dishes.