Of more than twenty countries in the region, restaurants in Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Brazil continue to make up 76% of the top 50 list.
The 50 Best list publishes its selection of the 100 best restaurants in Latin America. Although an Ecuadorian restaurant appears for the first time, it is surprising that a megadiverse country like ours, with an immense variety of raw materials for cooking, has only one restaurant on this list.
The statistics are indisputable. This small country, with 0.2% of the planet’s territory, has 9% of the world’s frog species, 10% of all plant species in the universe, with more than 25,000 species, of which 20 % are endemic. In birds, 1,600 species, which represent 18% of all those registered in the world. It has the highest number of species per unit area in Latin America and one of the largest in the world.
Why does this wealth in the national cupboard not translate into excellence in the table recognized abroad?
A very famous chef in the world, with three Michelin stars, told me during his visit to Guayaquil that he had not found in the continent a greater gastronomic variety in terms of raw materials and as a final product on the table, that is, a variety of dishes , only Mexico surpassed it.
In almost ten years there have been no big surprises or changes to the list. Of more than twenty countries in the region, restaurants in Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Brazil continue to account for 76% of the list of the top 50, despite the fact that there has been an important evolution in the catering industry in Ecuador.
Achieving this is largely the responsibility of private companies, but also of the Government. Peru, for example, has invested huge sums of money developing successful tourism strategies around gastronomy, with a brilliant implementation.
Countries like France, Spain or Italy have a culinary tradition of centuries, and great influence in the West for many reasons. However, for Latin America, selling its gastronomy to the world has not been so easy. It has required a huge effort from industry, from private companies. However, it is almost impossible to achieve this without the support of your governments.
I do not remember that any Tourism portfolio of the last governments has taken this sector seriously, both with strategies for internal development and external promotion. It is not about holding contests for the largest onions in the world or developing “gastronomic maps” with iconic dishes by province, but about doing serious work. The moment is now. Ecuador could already have a number of restaurants similar to Chile on that list. (O)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
