Holy Week & Fanesca

Holy Week... Holy Fanesca!

If there is something that represents the Ecuadorian Easter traditions better and tastier than Fanesca, I honestly don't know.

But wait a minute, what exactly is Fanesca?

You should know that there is no single Ecuadorian who hasn't tried it at least once, and who hasn't considered it one of the favorite local dishes. 

Fanesca is so popular during this season, that many local and international chefs living in Ecuador have included it in their Easter menus at renowned 5-star-hotels and restaurants, have replicated it in gourmet-style dishes, and even entered in cooking competitions for the best Fanesca of the year.

I guess you are still wondering what exactly it is made of. Don't worry in this video I explain it better:

Prepare your palate! a stew made from twelve tender grains and dry fish. Trust me, it is a blessing for the Ecuadorian culture, and the number twelve has a religious component behind it.

Despite you can get all of the ingredients in most markets at any time of the year due to the warm weather Ecuador is benefited from, Fanesca is only prepared during the Easter season. And you can buy it for around USD 5 to USD 15 a dish, at fancy or smaller restaurants, even some weeks after the Carnival holidays until the end of the holy week.

Like most Ecuadorian traditions, Easter is also a perfect excuse to reunite families who spend time together either attending catholic ceremonies or preparing this peculiar meal.

Fanesca cooked on the fire. Photo by Roberto Peralvo

There are as many Fanesca recipes as people in the country, and everybody claims to prepare the best dish. But actually, the base of Fanesca is similar everywhere you try it. Although the preparation of this delicious meal is very unique and involves a lot of ingredient preparation and precooking processes, some say its background comes from a simple indigenous soup called Ushucuta (a soup prepared in Cuzco, Peru), which people used to eat during the equinox, time of the harvest of the grains contained in this soup. And the truth is that most of these ingredients are a staple diet in the Andean communities.

When the Spaniards arrived in America and instilled the catholic religion, the concept around the soup changed and it adopted a catholic meaning representing the twelve apostles and the fasten vows they made during Easter.

Nowadays it remains a mix of elements representing the cultural and religious diversity of Ecuador and its strong ties with Mother Earth.

The Fanesca recipe is taught from generation to generation and it is about young and old family members gathering together to help each other while getting an assignment: maybe peeling the lime beans, roasting the peanuts, or stirring the pot.

📌 MY GRANDMA'S COOKING TIPS

• Set a fire pit and use dry firewood (instead of doing it in a gas or electric kitchen), this will give consistency to the soup and a good smoked flavor. Yes! do it like in the old years.
• Before putting in all the ingredients, make a “refrito” which consists of frying on vegetable oil and achiote, a nicely chopped onion and garlic, seasoned with cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
• Don't rush on the cooking process, be patient, and always, always stir your pot.

Regardless of the origin of this tasty and unique soup, either indigenous, Spanish, holy, or made by Juana, it represents more than a mix of Andean ingredients. It keeps alive our culture and lets us share it with the world. If you are visiting Ecuador during Easter, I invite you to try it and be part of this heritage.

Happy Easter Folks! 🐇

Your <virtual> guide,

Roberto