Touching upon an exquisite tradition in one spectacular day

Ecuador has an amazingly unique and rich gastronomical culture, sharing its origins in both Indian and Spanish Cuisine. True Colors Travel believes there is no better way to learn about the culture of a Colonial city than through its cuisine and, by extension, its traditional sweets. Quito is characterized by being the first World Cultural Heritage City by UNESCO.

But Quito hides many things including the flavors and aromas of one of the oldest traditions of its ancestors. Sweet gastronomic delight welcomes even the most casual visitor. Many of these shops are known to locals, but are far off the “tourist track.” We know about them, we’ve shopped them for years, and now, you can learn about them, too. In one full, spectacular day, chocked full of surprises, Quito’s Sweets Tour brings you to what can only be classified as the Sweets of the Gods.

The day begins early with a visit to one of the oldest bakeries in Quito, where we will have the opportunity to be present at the manufacturing site of the famous “Quesadillas,” sweets made from cheese. Later, we will travel to the deep Southern section of Quito through streets and neighborhoods unique to this tour until we arrive at our next stop, the famous “Dulces Tradicionales de Quito” a very familiar micro-enterprise with over 80 years of tradition. Here, you will have the opportunity to both taste and witness the making of several exquisite sweets and delicacies.
 
It’s time to learn more about the secrets of the “Mistelas”. This is a very interesting sweet, and even more interesting is the production process. You will be delighted by several flavors, with some containing alcohol, including either whiskey or rum.

You will also have your own Cooking Class with one of the best Chefs in Ecuador and be a guest in his personal home, where he will teach us how to prepare the famous “Humitas” and “Quimbolitos.” As we tour back to the center of Quito, to the Plaza de San Francisco, just a few meters from the Church we find several sites where they sell traditional sweets. One of the candy producers we visit is Luis Banda Jr., a third generation maker of a peanut candy confection called “Colaciones.”          

Before ending the day’s amazing experiences, we will share and enjoy a late lunch. Knowing that many sweets have been sampled along the way during the day, we will invite you to try several Ecuadorian dishes in very small portions. At meal’s end, we will invite you to a demonstration of the production process of the famous Ice Cream “Helado de Paila.”

Surely, this trip is a sweet lover’s paradise—aptly named the Sweets of the Gods Tour.

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