Guayaquil, Ecuador, Oct. 28 (EFE).- Multiple and creative ways to use bananas in cooking were explored in a culinary contest in Ecuador, held as part of the 21st edition of the ‘Banana Time‘ convention, where young chefs showcased their skills by reinventing this fruit to create dishes using ingredients like banana vinegar, flour, or fermented banana pasta.
Innovation in Banana-Based Cuisine
The contestants, who have less than two years of professional kitchen experience, had half an hour to create innovative dishes with bananas at any stage of ripeness and in various forms, whether fried, roasted, or boiled; or in derivative or fermented products.
“The idea was for the students to think outside the box, to go beyond the typical dish, and instead use the raw ingredient in other ways to elevate our product, the banana, to haute cuisine,” explained chef Doménica Señalín, a teacher at the Escuela de los Chefs. This academy organized the contest alongside the Association of Banana Exporters of Ecuador (AEBE), which runs the ‘Banana Time’ convention and represents over 70% of Ecuador’s total banana export volume.
Winning Dish: A New Take on a Traditional Bollo
The winning dish was a reinvention of a traditional coastal Ecuadorian meal: the bollo, a fish tamale typically made with plantain. This time, however, the contestants used a ripening, sweet banana, filling it with seafood such as crab, octopus, squid, and shrimp, and paired it with coconut rice and a portion of dehydrated rice.
“The bollo is part of Guayaquil, and we wanted to honor that,” said Samuel Santa Cruz, one of the winners. “We wanted to show that we could take something as fundamental and traditional as the bollo and elevate it a bit more. We aimed for that, and it worked.”
Adding a Unique Twist to Tradition
Santa Cruz’s teammate, Diana Padilla, agreed, adding that they didn’t stray far from tradition but gave it a new touch with Indian spices and other ingredients not usually found in the dish. “Our cuisine is perfect,” she emphasized.
Both are still studying gastronomy and never imagined they could win a competition of this level. They work together at a city hotel and heard about the contest from one of their supervisors.
“We were swamped with work this past week, but each day we carved out a bit of time to create this dish from scratch,” Padilla recalled, saying they knew they had won when they saw the judges clean their plates.
Creativity with Banana Peel and Banana Vinegar
The contest organizer noted that it was hard to choose the winners, as each dish had something unique. “I really liked the dish that came in second place; it featured banana in many different textures,” Señalín said.
Señalín highlighted that the second-place entry used banana peel as a base for bacon. “That was a really interesting use of the product, which is precisely what we were evaluating. I also liked that they marinated the chicken in banana vinegar,” she added.
Inspiring Young Chefs and Advancing Ecuadorian Cuisine
She also emphasized that contests like these help students meet other chefs, who, in turn, can see the potential of young talent. It’s also a way to contribute to the development of the gastronomy of Guayaquil and Ecuador.
“These events take them out of traditional cooking,” said the contest organizer, adding that they allow people to see that young chefs are also capable of transforming local products like bananas into high-level cuisine. EFE
Agencia EFE is supported by AEBE in producing this content.