Last Updated on May 24, 2023 by Chef Mireille
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Ecuadorian Come Y Bebe is a drinkable South American fruit salad that is especially popular in Colombia and Ecuador, although you may also find it in other South American countries.. Whether you call it Tropical Fruit Salad or Tropical Fruit Punch, this is a delicious and refreshing summer treat. It’s perfect for the hotter summer months!
Are you ready to Travel Your Tastebuds?
Welcome to a tropical paradise of flavors with Come Y Bebe recipe, a delightful and refreshing Ecuadorian tropical fruit salad. Come Y Bebe, which translates to “Eat and Drink” in English, is a popular Ecuadorian dish that showcases the abundance of tropical fruits found in the region. Bursting with vibrant colors and a symphony of flavors, this salad is a true celebration of Ecuador’s lush and bountiful fruit offerings.
A combination of fresh diced fruits in fresh squeezed orange juice and fruit puree. The base is thin enough so that you can easily drink this Ecuadorian Fruit Salad without a spoon.
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I grew up in Jackson Heights, a neighborhood located in the Queens borough of New York City. This area has a large South American population so you can easily find people selling cups of this very refreshing drink during the summertime. It is one of the most popular street foods you will find if you walk along Junction Blvd. – the main street of this area!
Growing up in this area, I had lots of Ecuadorian, Colombian and Peruvian friends and since junior high school, I learned how to make this delicious Tropical Fruit Salad.
Fruits for Tropical Fruit Salad
There really is no one recipe for Ecuadorian Come y Bebe as it can be made with any combination of fruits. Although I did not use them in this version, other fruits you can also utilize include:
- mango
- peach
- guava
- nectarine
- plum
- dragonfruit
- lychee/ rambutan
- Cherimoya, lucuma and passion fruit are also delicious fruits you can use in the fruit puree base. (You can usually find the frozen fruit pulp in markets in Latin or Caribbean neighborhoods).
This is an easy fruit salad recipe you will want to make every week during the summer. no one will get bored either as you can switch up the fruit every week, depending what you have on hand.
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Recipe Notes
- Use super sweet oranges like Cara Cara for the best flavor. Utilizing fresh sugar-sweet oranges and ripe sweet fruit is the best way to make sure you don’t need to add any additional sweeteners like sugar or honey. However, if you still feel the need for a little extra sweetness, feel free to add a little simple syrup, honey or agave.
- It is important to make sure that the fruits are chopped small so that you can easily drink it up with the juice.
- This Come y Bebe mix can also be frozen into paletas aka popsicles using popsicle molds.
- Different fruits have different shelf life times. Using a lot of melon will cause the come y bebe to go rancid faster. This recipe will be good for about 3 days in the refrigerator. For a longer life, replace the watermelon with mango or other stone fruit. Without melon and banana, this tropical fruit salad can last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- watermelon
- pineapple
- papaya
- mango
- banana
- freshly squeezed orange juice
- fruit puree (made with some of the watermelon, pineapple, and papaya)
How to Make Come Y Bebe
- Juice the oranges.
- First make the Fruit Puree: Chop the watermelon, pineapple, and papaya into small pieces and blend to puree the fruits.
- Strain puree to get a smooth consistency. Alternately, use a juicer.
- Whisk the strained fruit puree together with the orange juice.
- Add chopped fruits to the juice mix.
- Serve chilled or immediately after preparing.
Explore more delicious recipes!
Ecuadorian Recipes
- Aji Criolla – Ecuadorian Hot Sauce
- Locro de Papa – Potato Cheese Soup
- Beche de Pescado – Fish Soup
- Fanesca – Spring Soup
- Pasta Cheese Soup
If you didn’t guess it already, Ecuadorians LOVE soup. Whenever I would go to my Ecuadorian friends’ house after school, there was always soup on the stove!
After you enjoy your soup, end your meal with this delicious Ecuadorian Tropical Fruit Salad.
Come Y Bebe: Tropical Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped watermelon
- 2 cups chopped pineapple
- 1 1/2 cups chopped papaya and/or mango
- 2 chopped bananas
- 7 oranges
- 3 1/2 cups mixed fruit puree strained pineapple, papaya & watermelon
Instructions
- Juice the oranges. You will have approximately 3 cups of orange juice.
- First make the fruit puree.
- For the fruit puree, combine any combination of fruits in a blender. Puree well.
- Using a colander, strain the fruit puree so that it is smooth and clear.
- Add the strained fruit puree with the orange juice in a large pitcher.
- Stir to combine.
- Add the chopped watermelon, pineapple, papaya and banana. Stir to combine.
- Chill in the refrigerator.
- Serve cold.
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Notes
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Its so good to read about your adventures.. today I felt as if we were travelling between Queens and Brooklyn… 🙂
The fruit punch looks so good and inviting ! I especially envy the juicy oranges you get out there 🙂
Mir, I enjoyed your travel notes and yes I felt I was next to you..:)..wish I got to drink this as well..so lovely to see your students’ handwritten notes…it really makes up for lot of our efforts..
yes it was so heartfelt
Before reading the post I was wondering what come-y-bebe and sound exotic. As always enjoyed reading about the punch and the history behind. It is so sweet of your students to give you those handwritten notes..
yes – they are very sweet kids. this group is actually my favorite class….shhh let’s not let the other kids know
Am in love with this punch, quite an ultimate drink..Loving it..Those hand written notes are damn touching.
Thanks for the recipe for Come Y Bebe! I’ve enjoyed this an d never knew that it is fairly easy to make. Now I need to try this on my own!
What a wonderful two in one drink/frozen treat. Sounds like an interesting elevator ride but sure made for a great riding companion.
That looks really tasty! I love all the fruits, and they are tropical fruits at that!
Fruit punch looks great. Love the color
what a vibrant punch..looks so healthy and awesome..
Lovely post Mir and as I was reading it I started laughing because I remembered you telling us about your loooooooong walks at the train stations and your elevator ‘journeys’. At least if you find good company like this nice Colombian lady, your commutes might be more memorable. Love those notes from your students. I’m sure you are going to miss them too.
That fruit punch looks and sounds so refreshing and delicious.
I should pop in at NY for such adventures!! Love the fruity punch!
Yes you should. Let me know and I’ll be your personal tour guide!
I want one of these right now. Looks absolutely delicious
those notes made me emotional, it truly is very touching. Btw the punch looks so so refreshing and the clicks..they are super duper.
Such thoughtful and lovely notes from your students! The beverage is quite interesting and love the name of it.
It’s lovely to read about your travel as also the notes. Refreshing looking paletas! I guess they are the perfect pick me up! Did I mention I love your blog url too?! Shall start prowling all over this site over the weekend!
Mir I loved reading your travel post. In fact the name come y bebe made me just have a look at the post and boy I am touched.
Such llovely kids and I am sure they too will have great memories of you.
Love the color and ingredients of this fruit punch.
On a really bad day, these cute hand written notes, really brings back that spirit in us and makes all the sweat worth it!!!
I m loving this be be, baby!! I m going to make it definitely! !
So nice to see those hand written notes. Punch looks refreshing.
This is the perfect combination of fruits! Seriously like taking a sip of summer 🙂
so glad you like it. It’s the perfect summer treat!