"Colombia's great Sunday stew: chicken or beef with yuca, corn, plantain and coriander in a golden broth. Cooked in the largest pot in the house for the whole family."
About Sancocho
Colombia's great communal stew: a generous broth of chicken, beef or fish slow-simmered with yuca, corn, plantain, potato and coriander until the broth turns a deep, full-bodied gold; every family has its recipe; cooked in the largest pot in the house for Sunday family gatherings and celebrations.
Sancocho, a staple of Colombia's cuisine
Colombia's Great Stew
Sancocho is Colombia's most communal dish, a hearty stew of chicken, beef, pork or fish simmered with yuca, corn, green plantain, potato and coriander until the broth turns deep gold. Each ingredient is added in turn so it keeps its shape rather than dissolving. It is cooked in the largest pot in the house and made for Sunday gatherings and celebrations.
The Broth
The broth is the measure of a good sancocho, clear, golden and deeply flavoured rather than cloudy. Achieving it depends on order and patience: meat and aromatics first to build the base, then the starchy vegetables timed so each finishes tender but intact. Crowding the pot or rushing the simmer turns the broth muddy.
Regional Versions
There is no single sancocho but a family of them. The Caribbean coast makes a sancocho de pescado with fish and coconut; the Valle del Cauca favours chicken; the trifasico piles in three meats at once. Each region defends its own combination, but the structure of broth, root vegetables, plantain and corn stays constant.
A Sunday Ritual
Sancocho is family life made edible, a dish that needs no occasion beyond the weekend and that often cooks outdoors over a wood fire for a crowd. It is served with white rice on the side and slices of avocado, the rice stirred into the broth. More than a recipe, it is an event built around a very big pot.
What to Expect
The sancocho arrives in a deep bowl, the broth golden and fragrant, the yuca and plantain holding their shape, the chicken still on the bone. The diner eats it with white rice served alongside and uses the bread to clean the bowl.
Why Try It
Sancocho is Colombian family life made edible, the dish that requires no occasion beyond Sunday and that fills every table.
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Insider Tips
The yuca must hold its shape, if it's mushy, it's been overcooked.
Serve with white rice alongside, the rice absorbs the broth when mixed.
Add hogao (tomato-onion sauce) to the broth at the table.
