The base of the soup is made with tuna, yuca (a root of a shrub native to South America), red onions, broth, tomatoes, and various spices. The yuca is boiled with water until it is tender. The tuna is cooked with tomatoes, onions, and spices. The tuna is then shredded into the broth and more vegetables are added. The soup is served with a healthy heaping of pickled onions ontop (hence the name "encebollados") and with sides of lime wedges, plantain chips, and chilli sauce.
Encebollado orignated from the coast of Ecuador, where the tuna, specifically albacore tuna, is found. The root yuca is native to the Amazon region of Ecuador. Guayaquil is where encebollados historically started. Guayaquil's river served as a place of trade. The coastal fisherman would meet up with the traders from the Amazon region who were hauling yuca.
