06/15/2026
Nobody makes it the same way.
That is the whole point.
Von Diaz — one of the most respected Puerto Rican food writers alive — documented what every Puerto Rican already knows: her father made his with beef, corn, and noodles. Her mother made hers with chicken, lean pork, and sweet plantains. Her grandmother made hers with beef, pork on the bone, and yautía. She has rarely used a recipe because sancocho is not a recipe. It is an inheritance.
Sancocho is the stew made from what your family had, cooked the way your family cooked it, served at the table your family gathered around. Every single one is correct. Every single one is the only one.
SANCOCHO
Season 1 lb bone-in chicken pieces and 1 lb beef chunks with adobo and sazón. Brown in batches in a heavy pot. Remove and sauté 3 tablespoons sofrito in the same pot until fragrant. Return meat. Add 6 cups chicken or beef broth and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup cubed yuca, 1 cup cubed yautía, 2 green plantains sliced into rounds, and 2 ears of corn cut into 3-inch pieces. Reduce heat and simmer covered 45 minutes until root vegetables are tender. Add 2 cubed potatoes in the last 20 minutes. Adjust salt. Finish with a generous handful of fresh cilantro and culantro. Serve in deep bowls.
What else goes in it is between you and your family.
Still here. Still us.
