Panama: Sancocho

So the first country out of the bag was Panama, and a check of the Wiki list of national dishes reveals that natives of this country have one they call sancocho.

I consider this a real score for me because I love making one pot dishes, especially soups and stews. There's just something about the ease of cooking and how the flavors get all melded together that I find appealing.

Sancocho is just that - a soup or thick stew made of meats, various root vegetables and spices native to the region. Some more Internet research shows that sancocho is actually a popular dish in many Central and South American countries. The recipes vary from place to place, with some using chicken or beef and others using ingredients as unique as a cow's stomach lining. One other country - Columbia - also claims sancocho as its national dish. That's not surprising since until 1903, Panama was part of Columbia.

The Panamanian version is commonly made with chicken, yams and an herb called culantro - apparently similar in taste the the more common cilantro.

I spent some time exploring the Internet and found that recipes for the Panamanian version are more difficult to come by than those from other places (like Columbia and Puerto Rico). I found a few decent ones, but like the potato pancakes was not entirely happy with any of them. I think I'll have to develop my own based on the best from all of them.

I used the other recipes to come up with a list of ingredients. Right now I'm looking at chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots, onions, plantains, yams (if I can find some), corn on the cob, garlic cloves, oregano, cilantro, green onions, salt, pepper and chicken broth. I'll look for the culantro, but am skeptical I'll find it in any of the local groceries. I'll update with a recipe this weekend after I have some time to experiment.

As far as beverage pairings go, it seems Panama is another big beer country. It appears most of the wine drunk in Panama actually comes from Chile, my favorite wine producing country (Yeah!) So I'll probably pick a few from there to pair with my stew. I may be in the market for a crisp sauvignon blanc. Although it's always hard for me to resist a good red, especially one from Chile.