An Adventure in Eating-Traditional Food of the Ecuadorian Amazon Jungle

A big part of any motorcycle adventure into Ecuador’s Amazon basin is the food. Geography, climate, culture, and an extraordinary variety of produce, fish, spices, and other local ingredients come together here to give travelers an entirely different set of flavors to discover.

Amazonian cuisine developed differently from the food found in many other parts of Ecuador, shaped largely by the ingredients available in the jungle and by communities that historically had far less contact with the country's major cities.

The people of the Amazon have always relied heavily on what grows, swims, and lives nearby. More than 800 kinds of fish, thousands of fruits, and countless edible plants thrive in the region. Wild ginger, garlic, peanuts, edible ferns, vanilla, Amazon cinnamon, many varieties of peppers, yucca, and plantains all appear in local cooking.

To understand the Amazon's traditional dishes, it helps to understand the people and the geography. Until relatively recently, roads were scarce, and traveling between remote communities and cities where outside supplies were available could mean a long and difficult journey.

The A’i Cofán, Secoya, Siona, Waorani, Shuar, Kichwa, and Siekopaai Indigenous groups live in Ecuador’s Amazon region, along with the Taromenane and Tagaeri, who remain in voluntary isolation.

Some communities have traditionally relied on hunting, fishing, gathering, and small-scale agriculture. Others grow products such as cacao, which has become an increasingly important source of income in parts of the Amazon.

Different communities have also welcomed international travelers through jungle lodges and locally run tourism projects. Keep reading for a handful of traditional dishes from the Oriente, the name Ecuadorians commonly use for the Amazonian part of the country.

Maito

Maito is one of the most familiar dishes you will encounter in Ecuador’s Amazon. Fish, often tilapia, is seasoned, wrapped in a bijao leaf, and cooked over hot coals or on a grill.

The leaf traps the juices as the fish cooks, keeping it tender and flavorful. Maito is traditionally served with yucca and appears everywhere from local markets to jungle lodges and family kitchens.

Paiche

Paiche is a large freshwater Amazon fish that can grow to more than eight feet long and weigh well over a hundred pounds. It is grilled, fried, or baked and commonly served with yucca.

The meat has a relatively mild flavor and may be accompanied by ají negro, a regional hot sauce that varies from community to community but often includes wild peppers and liquid produced during the preparation of yucca.

Long overlooked outside the Amazon, paiche has also found its way into restaurants elsewhere in Ecuador. Some chefs use it in ceviche, while others incorporate it into dishes such as encocado, a coconut-based preparation more commonly associated with the coast.

Piranha

Several species of piranha are found in the Ecuadorian Amazon basin, particularly in lagoons, rivers, and tributaries.

The small fish are often served fried for lunch with sides such as rice, fried plantain, and salad.

Soups and Stews

Caldo de Bagre

Caldo de bagre is a hearty soup or stew combining catfish, yucca, tomatoes, peppers, and spices. It is a traditional dish in communities along the Napo River, where fresh fish has long been an important part of daily cooking.

Uchumanga

Uchumanga is a traditional Amazonian stew made with fish, and sometimes other available ingredients, along with plenty of spice. Recipes vary depending on the community and what is on hand.

It is the kind of practical, deeply local dish that reflects the Amazonian tradition of making full use of available ingredients.

Some More Unusual Amazon Foods

Chontacuro or Mayón

Chontacuros are large larvae traditionally harvested from palm trees. They are one of the Amazon’s best-known specialty foods and can be found on skewers at roadside stands and during community events.

Although they may be eaten raw, they are more commonly roasted over an open flame and served with fried plantain or yucca.

Chicha

Chicha is one of the best-known traditional beverages of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Yucca is cooked and fermented to produce the drink. In some traditional preparations, the yucca is chewed as part of the fermentation process, with enzymes in saliva helping break down the starches.

Today, preparation methods vary widely. In communities where chicha continues to be made traditionally, offering the drink to visitors can be an important act of hospitality.

Our High Andes, Deep Amazon Tour takes you to towns and communities where Amazonian culture shares center stage with the extraordinary natural environment.

Life along the river has always depended on a close relationship between the communities of the Oriente and their surroundings. Traveling here also creates the chance for personal connections that are difficult to plan in advance. One day you might meet someone at a restaurant in one village, and the next afternoon discover that your boat driver is his brother.

For more information about our off-the-beaten-path guided and self-guided tours through the Amazon and other regions of Ecuador, contact a member of our team.

Jon Jared first experienced the itch for travel during summer trips with his grandparents to England, Scotland, and Wales. After visiting Zambia and traversing the mountain towns of Colorado, he moved to Ecuador in search of a new understanding of the world around him. In Ecuador, Jon has worked at hotels, restaurants, and bars; served as a local guide, and a freelance writer and editor. His work in print includes Delta Sky Magazine and the 2015 Moon Ecuador and the Galapagos guidebook.