The Dominican Republic stands out for its gastronomy, as varied as it is exquisite. Some of our dishes are well known, such as sancocho and bandera (rice, beans and meat), while others are not so well known. Such is the case of buche perico, an eminently Dominican dish, which, according to the president of the Fundación Sabores Dominicanos (FSD), Bolívar Troncoso, was born in the Espaillat province, specifically in the rural areas of the municipalities of San Víctor and Moca, in the Cibao region.
In one of the episodes of the FSD’s podcast “Recaíto”, a culinary anthology, Troncoso tells that buche perico is a Dominican sancocho with the difference that it is made from tender corn cob kernels, so it combines salty and sweet flavors. Its name, he explains, is due to the fact that parakeets and parrots fill their crop with corn.
Although it is a native dish of the Dominican Republic, few people know of its existence. “Most of the regions do not know about this delicious dish,” he says, adding that the foundation he presides over is making the necessary efforts to rescue the buche perico as a local and delicious dish.
Preparation
Troncoso says that the buche perico is prepared like a traditional sancocho, but with a lot of corn. “There is a variety of sancocho, to one of them you add the whole cob, to the buche de perico you only add the grains, in greater quantity”, he assures.
In the podcast “Recaíto”, a culinary anthology, Troncoso talks about the origins and flavors of Dominican gastronomy, as well as the myths and occurrences that take place in the local cuisine.
If you feel like making buche perico, here is a link to a recipe that Dominican food blogger Clara González shares on her blog Cocina Dominicana.
