Hog Heaven in Riobamba

Daniel noticed on the Lonely Planet website that they were touting the roast pork at the Mercado La Merced in Riobamba. So we headed over there for our midday meal.

What we encountered was a roast pork lovers dream. A whole big room in the market with no fewer than 17 roast pork vendors in neat little uniforms all touting their pork as the "mas rica" (most rich).

What's more, there were free samples. No sooner had we walked in than a hand was extended from the first stall offering us a taste of her mas rica pork. This is called hornado in this part of Ecuador. We didn't see it farther to the north, though they had something similar they called frittada.

Making a hornado involves marinating a whole hog for days in garlic and cumin and chicha and then finishing it off with achiote to give it a nice bright color. Here is a recipe, I found that shows how labor intensive this is. Better to go to the Mercado Central in Riobamba and get free samples, or plunk down $4 for a plate served with mote (hominy) and avocado.