Ecuadorian soups

Each region of Ecuador has its own soups, ample and wonderfully varied. They are often accompanied by a wide assortment of sauces and vegetables, raw and cooked, to mix in at will. These soups are the national dishes of Ecuador and at the heart of almost every meal, as a main course, as a substantial opener to be followed by the simplest of dishes, or as the whole meal. These soups are the nostalgia of every Ecuadorian away from home, the hallmark of mother’s cooking, the carriers of past tradition, local custom, and flavors and steam-wafted aromas of foods locally grown. Flavorings are discreet. This is not the home of the palate-numbing blast of hot pepper or the soup green with coriander.