Puerto Rican cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes original to Puerto Rico. It has been primarily a fusion influenced by the ancestors of the Puerto Rican people: the indigenous Taínos, Spanish Criollos and sub-Saharan African slaves. As a territory of the United States, the culinary scene of Puerto Rico has also been moderately influenced by American cuisine.
Latin American cuisine is the typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. Latin America is a highly racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse with varying cuisines. Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes arepas, empanadas, pupusas, tacos, tamales, tortillas and various salsas and other condiments. Sofrito, a culinary term that originally referred to a specific combination of sautéed or braised aromatics, exists in Latin American cuisine. It refers to a sauce of tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, garlic, onions and herbs. Rice, corn, pasta, bread, plantain, potato, yucca, and beans are also staples in Latin American cuisine.
Esmeraldas is a northwestern coastal province of Ecuador. The capital and largest city is Esmeraldas. Esmeraldas is one of the three provinces of Ecuador that borders Colombia, and it is the most northern province in the country. The province borders Imbabura and Carchi to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Manabí, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Pichincha to the south, and Colombia to the north. The province is home to the Afro-Ecuadorian culture.
Peruvian cuisine reflects local practices and ingredients including influences mainly from the indigenous population, including the Andean and Amazonian cuisine, and cuisines brought by immigrants from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Without the familiar ingredients from their home countries, immigrants modified their traditional cuisines by using ingredients available in Peru.
Colombian cuisine is a culinary tradition of six main regions within Colombia: Insular, Caribbean, Pacific, Andean, Orinoco, and Amazonian. Colombian cuisine varies regionally and is influenced by Indigenous Colombian, Spanish, and African cuisines, with a slight Arab influence in some regions.
Vori vori is a thick, yellowish soup with little balls made of corn flour, and cheese. It is a traditional dish within Paraguayan cuisine. It is derived from the matzah balls of the Ashkenazi cuisine but incorporating corn instead of wheat flour, an ingredient taken from the Cario indigenous people.
Ecuadorian cuisine is diverse, varying with altitude and associated agricultural conditions. Ecuadorian cuisine is an amalgamation of Spanish, Andean, and Amazonian cuisines and to a lesser degree Italian, Lebanese, African, and Chinese. Beef, chicken, and seafood are popular in the coastal regions, especially ceviche, and are typically served with carbohydrate-rich foods, such as rice accompanied with lentils, pasta, or plantain. In the mountainous regions pork, chicken, beef and cuy are popular and are often served with rice, maize, or potatoes. A popular street food in mountainous regions is hornado, consisting of potatoes served with roasted pig. Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine in general include patacones, llapingachos, and seco de chivo. A wide variety of fresh fruit is available, particularly at lower altitudes, including granadilla, passionfruit, naranjilla, several types of banana, uvilla, taxo, and tree tomato.
Mazamorra or masamorra is the name for numerous traditional dishes from the Iberian Peninsula and Hispanic America.
The varieties of Ecuadorian maize are the repository of a rich farming and cooking tradition.
Chicha morada is a beverage originated in the Andean regions of Perú but is currently consumed at a national level.
T'anta wawa is a type of sweet roll shaped and decorated in the form of a small child or infant. They are generally made of wheat and sometimes contain a sweet filling. They are made and eaten as part of ancestral rites in Andean regions of Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, the south of Colombia, and the north of Argentina, mainly on All Souls' Day, but also as part of agricultural festivals, carnivals, and Christmas.
Máchica is a type of flour made from ground toasted barley or other toasted grains. It is used in Bolivian, Ecuadorian and Peruvian cuisine.
Enrique Chediak is an Ecuadorian cinematographer.
María Gabriela Pazmiño Pino, nicknamed Gaby, is an Ecuadorian television presenter, cheerleader, dancer, and politician. She is married to Abdalá Bucaram Jr., with whom she has had four children.
Fanny León Cordero was an Ecuadorian jurist and poet. In 1947, she became the first female judge in Ecuador.
Las Tres Marías were an Afro-Ecuadorian musical trio.
María Mercedes Pacheco is an Ecuadorian actress known for her portrayals of various television characters, as well as her work as a presenter for some TV programs. Pacheco is also known for playing 'Estrellita Vespertina' in the comedy series El Combo Amarillo on Ecuavisa.
Rafael Antonio Dávila Egüez is an Ecuadorian politician and engineer who served as the prefect of Loja Province from 2014 to 2023. Since November 2023, he has served in the National Assembly of Ecuador.
