CUISINE
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In the Manabí province on the country's Pacific coast, ICHE, a food school and restaurant, is passing down ancient culinary traditions to a new generation of Ecuadorian chefs and curious diners
Valentina Alvarez is a woman in constant motion. “Here — try it. Taste it; it’s sweet.” She presses a sticky, powdery clump into my hand, and I do as requested. It tastes fruity, salty and earthy all at the same time. I’m chewing on plantain dipped in salprieta, a condiment of ground annatto seeds with chillies, peanuts and corn — three of the four culinary pillars of Manabí, a province on Ecuador’s Pacific coast.
Valentina is now busy squashing the fourth one, cassava, into balls of dough. A firm, stubby root vegetable, it comes in endless permutations in Ecuador; here at ICHE, a restaurant, culinary school and food development lab just north of the town of San Vicente, it will become pan de yuca, marble-sized bread rolls. She bakes them in a manabita oven, a hemispherical clay pit topped by a removable grill, and throws in dried yellow corn, where it jumps and sputters. When the oven grill’s removed, it can be used like a tandoor; with it, it’s a stove. Valentina claims it has more than 14 other uses, including smoking, slow-cooking, dehydrating and fermenting — as well as drying clothes.
The use of this ancestral type of oven from Manabí province is just one of many culinary traditions that ICHE aims to both preserve and build on, teaching the students of its on-site culinary school age-old techniques while redefining what’s possible with homegrown food. All ingredients come from within a 20-mile radius of the property — many from its own herb garden.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Ecuador 2023 من National Geographic Traveller (UK).
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Ecuador 2023 من National Geographic Traveller (UK).
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
DIRECTORY
Lush Paul Valley, located at the foot of the COVA crater, is surrounded by rocky peaks, constituting one of the most spectacular landscapes of the island of Santo Antão.
CLIMBING KILIMANJARO
To summit Kilimanjaro is an expedition of a lifetime. Whether you're a seasoned mountaineer or a first-timer, there are key questions to consider before tackling the Tanzanian peak.
SEARCHING FOR BIGFOOT
TO VISIT OREGON IS TO EMBRACE THE ELEMENTAL POSSIBILITY OF BIGFOOT, THE HAIRY, HUMAN-LIKE MYTHICAL CREATURE. THE PROSPECT AND THRILL OF THE CHASE MAKES THE AREA'S THICK FORESTS, GURGLING CREEKS AND SCENIC HIKING TRAILS A TRUE WALK ON THE WILD SIDE.
FOR THE BIRDS
A visit to the Scottish Highlands offers one of the best bird- and wildlife-watching experiences in the UK, with the promise of rare encounters with unique species.
ON THE WATER
From swimming to standup paddleboarding, boating to biking, here's how to have the ultimate adventure on and around six of world's most beautiful lakes.
HOW I GOT THE SHOT
PHOTOGRAPHER MATT DUTILE ON SNAPPING THE FROZEN CONTINENT'S CHARISMATIC WILDLIFE FOR OUR MAY ISSUE
THE EVOLVING GAP YEAR
FROM ENHANCING A CV TO BENEFITTING A LOCAL COMMUNITY OR TRAVELLING WITH PURPOSE, THE MOTIVES FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE A GAP YEAR ARE INCREASINGLY NUANCED.
VALLETTA
In Malta’s harbour-framed capital, a rich and evolving art scene unfolds among honeyed baroque facades, echoing the global influences that have shaped the city over the centuries
A timeless city
Wander through artistic alleyways and along modern beachfronts in South Korea’s second city — a place where tradition and innovationgo hand in hand.
SANDS OF TIME
COVERING AROUND 800,000 SQUARE MILES, ALGERIA'S SHARE OF THE SAHARA TAKES UP OVER 80% OF THE COUNTRY - THE VOLCANIC PEAKS, CANYONS AND VAST SAND SEAS FORM A STRIKING BACKDROP TO OASIS CITIES AND UNIQUE NORTH AFRICAN CULTURES