Sancocho de Guandú

Barranquilla's carnival soup: pigeon peas simmered with salted beef, pork ribs, yuca, yam, and plantain, and seasoned with a guiso of garlic, onion, spring onion, tomato, and achiote

Origin: Barranquilla & the Atlántico, Colombia

From the journey of Pigeon Pea.

Sancocho de guandú is the great soup of Colombia's Caribbean coast and the dish of Barranquilla's Carnival. Guandú or guandul is the pigeon pea, grown and eaten across the coast from Cartagena to Santa Marta and especially in the Atlántico department, and in a sancocho it is cooked, fresh or dried, with carne salada (salted, sun-dried beef), pork or beef ribs, and the starchy roots and fruits of the coast: yuca, ñame yam, and green and ripe plantain. What distinguishes the Barranquilla version is the guiso, a seasoning of garlic, onion, spring onion, tomato, sweet pepper, and achiote cooked down separately and stirred into the pot, which colours the broth and gives the peas their particular savour. The soup is served with white or coconut rice, avocado, and a bollo de yuca, and during Carnival it is the dish of the season, cooked in family kitchens and sold all over the city.

Ingredients

Soup

500 g fresh or frozen green pigeon peas (guandú), or 350 g dried, soaked overnight
250 g salted dried beef (carne salada), soaked for 1 hour and cut into pieces
500 g pork ribs, cut into pieces
3 litres water
400 g yuca, peeled and cut into chunks
300 g yam (ñame), peeled and cut into chunks
1 green plantain, peeled and cut into pieces
1 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into pieces

Guiso

2 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 red sweet pepper, finely chopped
0.5 tsp ground achiote (annatto)
0.5 tsp ground cumin

To Finish

3 tbsp chopped coriander
Salt and black pepper

To Serve

White or coconut rice, avocado, and bollo de yuca, to serve

Method

Put the pigeon peas (if dried), the salted beef, and the ribs in a large pot with the water. Bring to the boil, skim, and simmer for 1 hour, until the meat is tender and dried peas are soft. (Fresh or frozen peas go in after 30 minutes.)
Meanwhile make the guiso: heat the oil and cook the onion, spring onion, garlic, tomato, and sweet pepper slowly for 10 to 15 minutes with the achiote and cumin, until soft and deeply coloured.
Add the green plantain and yam to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, then add the yuca, ripe plantain, and guiso and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes more, until everything is tender and some of the yuca has broken down to thicken the broth.
Taste for salt, which depends on the salted beef, and season with pepper. Stir in the coriander.
Serve in deep bowls with rice, avocado, and bollo de yuca.

Notes

Carne salada can be replaced with smoked or salted pork, or with more fresh beef and a little extra salt. Some cooks add pumpkin (ahuyama) with the yam; it dissolves and sweetens the broth.

The Gastrographer

Name: Sancocho de Guandú
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Colombia
Ingredients: 500 g fresh or frozen green pigeon peas (guandú), or 350 g dried, soaked overnight; 250 g salted dried beef (carne salada), soaked for 1 hour and cut into pieces; 500 g pork ribs, cut into pieces; 3 litres water; 400 g yuca, peeled and cut into chunks; 300 g yam (ñame), peeled and cut into chunks; 1 green plantain, peeled and cut into pieces; 1 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into pieces; 2 tbsp oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 spring onions, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1 red sweet pepper, finely chopped; 0.5 tsp ground achiote (annatto); 0.5 tsp ground cumin; 3 tbsp chopped coriander; Salt and black pepper; White or coconut rice, avocado, and bollo de yuca, to serve

Mapping Culinary History

To explore — select an ingredient below.

To explore — select an ingredient below · click any location dot on the map for recipes and stories · browse the information panel on the right · trace the full journey on the timeline.

Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control