Espumilla (spoiler alert: not very good)

When we were in Cuenca in September, we passed by numerous street vendors selling colored and flavored meringue served in ice cream cones with sprinkles on top. My children begged and begged for some, but for some reason, I didn't let them indulge. 

Then a few weeks after we got back, I read a cute little article about espumilla, a traditional Ecuadorian street food, that the article touted as "ice cream that never melts". The word espumilla means foam and is an apt name for this dessert. Espumilla is a lightly flavored meringue -- made from whipped egg whites --  that Ecuadorians enjoy served in ice cream cones. It is typically made at home and flavored with natural fruit syrups, including guava and mora. 

After reading the article, I promised the kids that when we returned to Cuenca, we would try it!

And so, espumilla was added to our list of what we planned to do with Gwen and Jacki in Cuenca, along with returning to our favorite bakery to eat chocolate croissants, getting cheese at the SuperMaxi, revisiting the zoo, and climbing up to the Cathedral cupola.

It turns out that while espumilla may look delicious, it really is not anything to write home about. The flavors available on the day we tried were mora, guava and chicle (bubblegum). Everyone took an anxious lick. 

Hmmmmm. . . . 

Weird texture, little flavor, not nearly as scrumptious as the ice cream it was impersonating. We gave it a good try and wound up throwing most of the espumilla away so that Brynna could enjoy the cone. Which she did.





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