With the arrival of the Spanish, the people of Ecuador converted to Christianity, but there is no precise information on when the devotion to Baby Jesus began.
Thus, as Ecuador is a Catholic country, a very important activity during the Christmas period is the preparation of the nativity scene.
In the days leading up to Christmas, Baby Jesus is covered with a cloth which is removed on the 24th to simulate his birth.
The Prayer to Baby Jesus is recited every night starting from December 16, and families pray in their own homes during the eight days before Noche Buena (the 24th), and on this day, which corresponds to the last day of prayer, they pray in the house where dinner is held.
On Christmas Eve, it is customary to eat turkey or chicken with prune sauces or pork, rice with cheese, and as a typical dessert, the pristiños (especially in the Sierra region): rings of fried dough soaked in miel de panela.
They resemble buñuelos, but are made with baking powder instead of yeast and are accompanied by miel de panela (a solution composed of water, panela, and cinnamon) or molasses.
December 25 is a day of rest, during which many families gather with members who may not have attended the previous day’s dinner.
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 15 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 10 people
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: South American
- Seasonality: Christmas, All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp anise seeds
- to taste salt
- to taste vegetable oil
- 2 cups water
- 500 g panela (or molasses)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Preparation
Bring the water with cinnamon and anise to a boil, cook for 10 minutes, strain and cool.
In a bowl, sift the flour with the sugar and salt. Then add the butter.
Mix with your fingertips until you get a sandy consistency, add the eggs and cinnamon water, and mix everything until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
Let it rest for 15 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface, cut strips 1 1/2 inches wide by 6 inches long, make fringe cuts from the center down, and join the ends to form a ring.
Fry in plenty of hot oil and serve the pristiños accompanied by the miel de panela:
boil the water with the ground panela (or molasses), cinnamon, cloves, and lemon juice until it boils and reaches a honey-like consistency, stirring often.
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If you don’t find panela in the supermarket, you can find it online: Panela cane sugar 450 g, €4.99.
