Flavors · Latacunga

Chugchucaras

Hearty dish from Latacunga with fried pork, crispy pork skin, mote, potato, fried ripe plantain, empanadas, popcorn and toasted corn, with ají. It is the dish that the Ministry of Tourism’s gastronomic map identifies for Cotopaxi.

Traditional dish from Latacunga, Cotopaxi

Also known as: Chugchucara, Chugchucaras latacungueñas

Updated October 2026

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Chugchucaras — Latacunga, Ecuador — Chugchucaras

Chugchucaras — Latacunga, Ecuador

Chugchucaras are a dish made of many parts, all tied to pork and corn. They include fritada, pieces of pork cooked and browned in their own fat, pork skin fried until it puffs, mote, potato, fried ripe plantain, small empanadas, popcorn and toasted corn. The ají, a spicy sauce, is served on the side.

The dish comes from Latacunga, capital of the Cotopaxi province, and the Ministry of Tourism’s 2018 gastronomic map lists it as the province’s dish. In the city there is a whole block of restaurants specialized in it, and many travelers stop there on the road between Quito and the south of the country just to eat it.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, the name comes from Kichwa: chukchuna, to tremble, and kara, skin, referring to the pork skin that trembles when served. Other sources offer different explanations for the word.

In many restaurants the dish arrives in stages: first the mote with the fritada and the ají, then the skin, the potato, the plantain and the empanadas. It’s a heavy meal that usually suffices for the day.

Latacunga is the city of the Mama Negra festival, and chugchucaras are part of the food served to visitors of the historic center.

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Where it comes from

Latacunga , Cotopaxi
Dish from Latacunga, indicated by the Ministry of Tourism as the dish of Cotopaxi province.

Ingredients

Fritada (pork), fried pork skin, mote, potato, fried ripe plantain, small empanadas, popcorn and toasted corn. Served with ají.

How it is eaten

At lunch, on a large plate or in stages, starting with the mote and fritada. You eat it with a fork and with your hands, seasoning with ají to taste.

When it is eaten

Year-round, at lunch. Many travelers stop in Latacunga to eat them on the road between Quito and the south.

Your questions

Questions about Chugchucaras

What comes in chugchucaras?

Pork fritada, fried pork skin, mote, potato, fried ripe plantain, empanadas, popcorn and toasted corn, with ají on the side.

Where does the name chugchucaras come from?

According to the Ministry of Tourism, from Kichwa: chukchuna, to tremble, and kara, skin, because of the pork skin that trembles when served.

Is a portion of chugchucaras large?

Yes, it is a hearty dish. Many people share it or make it their only meal of the day.

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