The food in Ecuador varies substantially between the regions of the country. Ecuadorians typically eat three meals per day. The morning meal is typically a light meal, while lunch and dinner are usually a bit heavier.
 Breakfast in the Andean region, including Quito, usually consists of coffee and a bread pastry. A very common breakfast (or snack throughout the day) is empanadas, which are bread dough with another ingredient (like cheese or some type of meat) rolled in the middle. The roll is then baked all together in the oven. Also common in the highlands are a kind of sweet tamales called humitas .
Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. It is usually the cheapest meal of the day as well because restaurants prepare the lunch, or almuerzo , in bulk and only offer one or two set options. Many Ecuadorians eat in restaurants for lunch. Lunch always consists of soup and a main dish. The main dish always has rice and usually is served with a meat stew. The dinner is very similar to lunch. The set dinner menu is called merienda .
 In Quito, the international traveler will find all sorts of restaurants with menus from all over the world.
Food in Ecuador is amazingly homogenous, but very cheap and healthy. The main dish consists of rice and a choice of chicken, beef or shrimp. They also eat a lot of papas fritas or french fries. All meals are accompanied by a salsa like sauce caused aj', who's main ingredient is a particular species of tomato that grows high up in the mountains called tomato de arb-les. Mixing these small tomatoes with onions, cilantro and several spices create a very tasty condiment that varies with each restaurant and family recipe.
Meat is normally served in very small portions( it'is expensive). On the coast, fish and shellfish are quite cheap, popular and prepared in a large number of variations. During our stay, there was a red tide caused by an El ni-o off the western coast, so shellfish was not being served, but this occurrence is very rare.
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