The Dish: Sancocho at Merengue Dominican Restaurant

A few years ago in the Dominican Republic I was invited to taste sancocho prepared by the chef who won the nationwide sancocho contest. Sancocho, a traditional soup/stew, is the national dish of the Dominican Republic (and popular in many Central and Latin countries). The sancocho I had in the Dominican Republic was good but the sancocho at Merengue Dominican Restaurant in Garden City Park was better.

The Dish: Sancocho

What’s Inside: This is a very hearty soup that is packed with vegetables and meats. The sancocho at Merengue contained fowl, beef, pork, green plantain, yucca, calabaza squash and yautia, also known as malanga. Sometimes it is served with chunks of ears of corn.

How’s It Taste: This is a soulful dish, earthy and with depth. The broth was delicious and the meats were tender.

Sides: Sancocho is served with a plate of rice. Some people take the meat out of the sancocho and put it with the rice, adding soup to moisten the rice, and others put the rice into the sancocho.

Sancocho is made at Merengue on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Merengue Dominican Restaurant

2164 Jericho Turnpike, Garden City Park

516-877-2600