Guatita ('' ittlegut'' or '' ittlebelly'', from es, Guata; "Gut/Belly"), or guatita criolla, is a popular dish in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

, where it is considered a national dish, and in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. It is essentially a

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and ...

whose main ingredient is pieces of

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...

(cow stomach), known locally as "guatitas". The tripe is cleaned several times in a lemon-juice brine, after which it is cooked for a long time until the meat is tender. Then it is allowed to cool and finely chopped. There are various vegetarian versions of the dish in which wheat gluten is substituted for tripe. Other variations use strong-tasting fish such as

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max length: ...

. The traditional Ecuadorian recipe is served hot and accompanied by potatoes and a peanut sauce. The dish is often considered an acquired taste. Because of its strong taste, it is sometimes served in small quantities. In Ecuador, it is believed that guatita helps relieve hangover symptoms.http://www.ultimasnoticias.ec/noticiaUN.asp?id_noticia=23306&id_seccion=5 For this reason, it is often served by restaurants early on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Related dishes

* Mexico:

Pancita In Mexican cuisine, Menudo, also known as pancita ('' ittlegut'' or '' ittlestomach'') or mole de panza ("stomach sauce"), is a traditional Mexican soup, made with cow's stomach (tripe) in broth with a red chili pepper base. Hominy, lime, onion ...

mondongo ''Sopa de mondongo'' is a soup made from diced tripe (the stomach of a cow or pig) slow-cooked with vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic or root vegetables. The dish is generally prepare ...

* Colombia: Mondongo antioqueño * Peru: Cau Cau a la limeña * Panama: Mondongo a la culona * Chile: Chupe de guatitas,

guatitas a la jardinera Guatitas ('' ittleguts'' or '' ittlebellies'', from es, Guata; "Gut/Belly"), or guatitas criollas, is a popular dish in Ecuador, where it is considered a national dish, and in Ecuador, Chile, It is essentially a stew whose main ingredient ...

* Argentina: Mondongo rioplatense * Paraguay: Seco de mondongo * Ecuador: Caldo de mondongo * Spain:

Callos Callos is a stew common across Spain, and is considered traditional to Madrid. In Madrid, it is referred to as ''callos a la madrileña. It contains beef tripe and chickpeas, blood sausage and peppers. Chorizo sausage may also be used. Another s ...

* Dominican Republic:

Mondongo ''Sopa de mondongo'' is a soup made from diced tripe (the stomach of a cow or pig) slow-cooked with vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic or root vegetables. The dish is generally prepare ...

References

{{Cuisine of Chile Ecuadorian cuisine Chilean cuisine Stews Offal Beef dishes National dishes

Related dishes

See also

References