Practically every festival in the Andes of Ecuador will have at least one whole roast pig for sale. Called hornado, this mouthwatering oven-roasted pork is always served by the plateful, and is accompanied by mashed potato pancakes fried in lard, a piece of cuero (pork crackling), mote (field corn similar to hominy), tostado (toasted kernels of dried corn), a garnish of tomato and red-onion, and sliced avocado. Some regions replace the potato with fried sweet plantain. Ají, a homemade hot sauce with a tomate de arbol base, is liberally added by aficionados of heat. Hornado is also found at neighborhood markets in just about every town in the Ecuadorian Sierra. It is offered for breakfast and lunch. This list includes many high placing contestants and winners in the World Championship of Hornado.
Beloved icon and semi-finalist in the 2016 Hornado Championship, Doña Carmita has a strong following in Ibarra, Ecuador. Colombians cross the border to try a plate of her tasty roast pork and side dishes. Located inside the Mercado Amazonas, Hornados Doña Carmita is not a fine-dining establishment, but don’t let that stop you from visiting.
In 2014, Rosario Tabango won the grand prize for making the best hornado in all of Ecuador. Tabango has two locations where she sells the best hornado in Otavalo: a small restaurant run by her daughter, and her own market stand at newly-renovated Mercado 24 de Mayo. Order the full platter which comes with morcilla (sausages stuffed with veggies) and rice, as well as the other traditional sides.
Doña Rosita has prepared her version of hornado for more than 28 years. In 2016, she was a semi-finalist in the World Championship of Hornado, representing the province of Imbabura. Her small kitchen is found at stall number 37 at the Central Market in Cotacachi, Ecuador.
The best place in Quito to buy a plate of excellent hornado is in the Mercado Iñaquito. All the vendors offer a delicious product, but Marcia Santos of Exquisito Hornado seems to be the hands-down favorite of many Quiteños.
Quiteños go to neighboring Sangolqui, a town just east of the city, for some of the best hornado in the region. Several roadside restaurants sell huge platters of roast pork with all the fixings, but if you would prefer an indoor local away from car fumes, then try the Mercado Cerrado in the center of town.
In the small town of Pelileo, located midway between Ambato and Baños de Agua Santa, is the tiny restaurant Hornados Carmita. Owner Carmen Ramos is the winner of the 2016 World Championship of Hornado, where her special recipe was declared the most delicious and best presented in all of Ecuador.
When visiting Riobamba, Ecuador, make sure to visit the Mercado La Merced for a plate full of roast pork and fixings. In 2014, Ana Cecilia Falconí represented the market and won the prize for making the best hornado in the Chimborazo region.
In Cuenca, the best traditional foods, including the best versions of hornado, can be found in the Mercado 10 de Agosto, not far from the Museo del Sombrero. There will be several vendors on hand, each willing to offer you a piece of pork crackling, or cuero, to test their product.
Hornados de Gran Columbia is tucked into a busy commercial district in Loja, Ecuador. Its small, wooden entrance belies the fame of owner Rosa Sarmiento, a semi-finalist in last year’s World Championship of Hornado. She has been preparing an excellent hornado at this location for more than 25 years.