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¡CUENCA EATS!: Los Sabores de Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca
Most visitors to Cuenca never reach the foods that locals cherish. This culinary hideout is filled with flavors the rest of the world has barely begun to discover.
¡Cuenca Eats! is a heartfelt, bilingual guide to one of South America’s most welcoming food cities. In 2024 Cuenca became the first city in South America to receive the title of “World Food Capital” from the World Food Travel Association. In 2025 UNESCO recognized Cuenca as a “Ciudad Creativa de la Gastronomía.” This book celebrates that spirit through more than 100 traditional dishes, drinks, fruits, snacks and desserts from the high Andes. Every page is rooted in real life. This is the Cuenca you discover by walking its mercados, tasting what Ecuadorians cook, and sharing in a powerful, exuberant food culture shaped by fresh ingredients, quiet superfoods and recipes that have stayed largely hidden from the outside world.
Inside you will
• A friendly bilingual layout with English and Spanish side by side
• Traditional Ecuadorian foods explained clearly for travelers, newcomers and locals
• Authentic market favorites from roasted corn to fresh tropical fruit
• Street foods and snacks with real photos and simple notes
• More than 100 handpicked restaurant recommendations found the honest way
• Notes on seasonality, regional ingredients, eating customs and what to try first
This book took more than three years to write. It was created by walking Cuenca’s streets and talking with the people who feed the city. It honors the vendors, cooks, market workers and family kitchens that carry Ecuador’s culinary traditions into everyday life.
Whether you are visiting Cuenca for the first time or rediscovering it after many years, ¡Cuenca Eats! gives you an inviting, practical and joyful way to explore the city one taste at a time.
¡Cuenca Eats! is a heartfelt, bilingual guide to one of South America’s most welcoming food cities. In 2024 Cuenca became the first city in South America to receive the title of “World Food Capital” from the World Food Travel Association. In 2025 UNESCO recognized Cuenca as a “Ciudad Creativa de la Gastronomía.” This book celebrates that spirit through more than 100 traditional dishes, drinks, fruits, snacks and desserts from the high Andes. Every page is rooted in real life. This is the Cuenca you discover by walking its mercados, tasting what Ecuadorians cook, and sharing in a powerful, exuberant food culture shaped by fresh ingredients, quiet superfoods and recipes that have stayed largely hidden from the outside world.
Inside you will
• A friendly bilingual layout with English and Spanish side by side
• Traditional Ecuadorian foods explained clearly for travelers, newcomers and locals
• Authentic market favorites from roasted corn to fresh tropical fruit
• Street foods and snacks with real photos and simple notes
• More than 100 handpicked restaurant recommendations found the honest way
• Notes on seasonality, regional ingredients, eating customs and what to try first
This book took more than three years to write. It was created by walking Cuenca’s streets and talking with the people who feed the city. It honors the vendors, cooks, market workers and family kitchens that carry Ecuador’s culinary traditions into everyday life.
Whether you are visiting Cuenca for the first time or rediscovering it after many years, ¡Cuenca Eats! gives you an inviting, practical and joyful way to explore the city one taste at a time.
324 pages, Paperback
Published November 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 21, 2026
¡Cuenca Eats¡ is packed with excellent on-the ground intel. From how to identify that odd-looking fruit in the market, to how to pronounce the lunch menu, to what to buy for an afternoon snack, this book has it all. Helpfully written in both English and Spanish, this full-color guide will help you, as it helps me, navigate the wide array of tasty foods available in Cuenca and other cities in Ecuador and South America. For those in Cuenca, the second half of the book includes reviews of various restaurants throughout town, from local dives to fine dining restaurants. This is the only book of its type that I have seen here.
June 27, 2026
Food for the soul !
A truly excellent book about Cuenca, its culture, and its cuisine!
I especially appreciated the first section dedicated to local dishes and fruits. This kind of information is rarely documented, making it both fascinating and valuable.
The guide also includes numerous restaurant reviews, and thanks to it, we discovered many new favorite places to eat and still have to try new ones. :)
A truly excellent book about Cuenca, its culture, and its cuisine!
I especially appreciated the first section dedicated to local dishes and fruits. This kind of information is rarely documented, making it both fascinating and valuable.
The guide also includes numerous restaurant reviews, and thanks to it, we discovered many new favorite places to eat and still have to try new ones. :)
March 9, 2026
I have lived in Cuenca for more than three years and learned more in this book than in all my own gastronomic experiences because the author writes not just about the food, but about that food's place in the history, culture, and daily life of Cuencanos. It takes a deep curiosity to unearth those insights, and the author wove them into an interesting, easy-to-digest (pun intended) literary snack.
May 26, 2026
Comprehensive review of food and food culture in Cuenca. Tips on hidden gems , helpful photos, and fascinating bits of history and tradition fill the pages. If you love “fun facts” and pro tips” this book is for you!
January 19, 2026
If you are (going to be) in Cuenca and you love food, then this is the book for you! Full of background about the food itself and actual recommendations of where to eat!
January 24, 2026
A very complete guide about Cuenca's gastronomy that will make you mouth water !
June 25, 2026
A true journey in the Ecuador, learning new ways to travel , that to order and how
Great book
Great book
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews