A Ronda of Applause to Chocolate, Art, and Wind Desserts

07.11.17

It’s 2:00 PM on a Tuesday, so the obvious move is to visit the famous, “La Ronda Street” for an original Ecuadorian chocolate presentation, an art tour, and an Empanadas de Aires/Canelazo tasting. 

There is so much to Quito and Ecuador in general, but on this day we got the opportunities to observe and participate in multiple things that add up to traditional Ecuadorian culture. For starters, we began our evening at Chez•Tiff Artesanal Chocolate, where we received a thorough presentation on the making of pure chocolate, something Ecuador is famous for. Not only were we able to taste 80% dark chocolate, but a few brave volunteers received hand massages with pure cocoa butter. Let’s just say, most if not ALL of us left with a little piece of delicious chocolate with soft hands!

On to the next stop, our guide Rodrigo took the group to an in-the-wall museum which hosted one side full of pieces made entirely of plastic while the other displayed capsule rooms such as a barbershop, dining room, and bakery; all of these portrayed little glimpses into what life was like in Ecuador in years past plus the environmentalist movement going on today.

A little dancing before desserts!

Our final stop was in a little shop to try the famous Empanadas de Aire, a large but airy, doughy dessert with cheese filling, and Canelazos, a hot cinnamon tea that can be served with alcohol. This was the perfect wrap up to an afternoon rich in culture and sweetness!