Llapingacho

Llapingacho

Llapingachos and chorizos
Place of origin	Ecuador
Main ingredients	Mashed potatoes or yuca, cheese

Llapingachos are fried potato cakes that originated in Ecuador. They are usually served with a peanut sauce. The dish is also famous in Colombia. The potato patties or thick pancakes are stuffed with cheese and cooked on a hot griddle until crispy brown.

In Ecuador they are sometimes made with mashed, cooked yuca, or cassava, instead of potato. The yuca or cassava root used to make llapingachos is not to be confused with the similarly spelled yucca, the roots of which are generally not edible.

Llapingachos originated in Ambato. It is fried, mashed potato surrounding a center of cheese which is generally served with baked or fried pork. It is typically served with avocado, sausage, fried egg, tomato and lettuce salad on the side. This dish forms part of Ecuador's culture, and is one of the representative icons of Highland food. Llapingachos are popular not only in Ecuador's Highlands but also in the coast and eastern provinces. In this way, Llapingachos became a typical Ecuadorian dish enjoyed not only by its inhabitants, but also by people around the world.