Sancocho is a stew popular in South America and the Caribbean, with variations based on available ingredients. It originated in the Canary Islands and was brought to Puerto Rico by Canarian slaves. The dish includes different meats, vegetables, and spices, and can be eaten alone or with rice and bread.
Sancocho is a popular dish in many regions of South America and the Caribbean. The term can be loosely translated as “stew”, in which different ingredients can be added to the dish, depending on their availability or the preferences of the cook. The dish can use different meats such as chicken, beef or even fish, and then added with vegetables that complement the flavor of the meat. The popularity of sancocho has led to the many varieties it is cooked in based on the country.
Sancocho is said to have originally come from the people of the Canary Islands, a Spanish colony on the African continent. The Canarians brought the dish with them when the Spanish colony moved them to Puerto Rico as slaves. The story goes that Canarian women would leave a large pot of stew simmering until their men returned from work and they had a hot, fulfilling meal to go home. Shortly thereafter, farmers and other laborers took to the idea and would cook the stew themselves.
The original sancocho in the Canary Islands used fish as the main meat, as the country was an archipelago surrounded by water and most likely had fish as one of their staple foods. The Puerto Rican version of the dish, on the other hand, also uses chicken and beef aside from fish, possibly due to the availability of the meats. Ecuadorians usually prepare their dish with pork, while Salvadorans cook theirs with cow innards. Many countries like Colombia and the Dominican Republic tend to use whatever meat is available. The Dominican Republic also has a “sancocho de Siete carnes” with seven different meats such as goat, ham and longaniza included in the dish.
Aside from the meat, other sancocho ingredients that are typically included are starchy vegetables. Potatoes, cassava and malanga are the usual choices. Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are sometimes added for added texture. Other fruits and vegetables put on the plate can range from plantains and carrots to celery and squash. Different spices are also used to flavor the dish, such as ginger, garlic, oregano and chili sauce.
Sancocho as a dish can be eaten on its own, as it is already a complete meal, but it can also be eaten with starchy foods such as rice and bread. Other similar dishes that share the element of various ingredients of sancocho are Hungarian goulash and Chinese chop suey. These dishes are often used as metaphors for a nation’s diversity in race and culture.
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