Cuchuco de Trigo is a traditional Colombian soup. This wheat and pork soup is hearty, filling and comforting.
Today I want to share another traditional Colombian soup from the Boyacá y Cundinamarca regions of Colombia Cuchuco de Trigo.
What is Cuchuco?
It's a hearty, flavorful and filling soup made with wheat, corn or barley, different vegetables, pork, spices and herbs. Colombian cuchuco variations are cuchuco de trigo (wheat), cuchuco de cebada (barley) and cuchuco de maíz (hominy corn).
If you've been around here for a while you know that I love all kinds of tasty soups. And, if you love homemade soups like me, canned just doesn't cut it. The good news is, soups are simple to make from scratch. In Colombia this cuchuco is made with espinazo de cerdo (pork neck bones), but if you don't find them just use pork ribs.
Cuchuco de Trigo (Wheat and Pork Colombian Soup)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork ribs or pork bones
- 10 cups water
- ½ cup soaked wheat
- 1 cup fava beans
- 2 yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 red potatoes, peeled and diced
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon sazon goya with achiote
- 1 beef bouillon tablet
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- ½ cup peas
- ½ cup diced carrots
- 2 tbsp flour
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the onion, garlic, scallions, red bell pepper in the food processor.
- Place a pot over medium-high heat. Add the water, beef bouillon, wheat, fava beans and pork ribs, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion mixture salt and pepper and let it simmer for 50 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, cabbage, peas, carrots, Sazon Goya, ground cumin, and flour. Cover and cook for 25 minutes more or until the pork is cooked.
- Add the cilantro and serve.
Nutrition
This soup is so easy to put together and is a great way to warm up on winter days. If you’re looking for a side salad to serve with this wheat soup my tomato, avocado and cucumber salad or simple green salad are delicious.
This Cuchuco de Trigo soup will keep well for 3-4 days in the fridge. Simply reheat it in a large pot as needed.
More Delicious Soups to Try
Sopa de Moneditas (Green Plantain Chips Soup)
5 Star Foodie
Looks like a warming and flavorful soup, would love to try it!
Faith
This looks wonderrful, Erica! Very flavorful and healthy!
rebecca subbiah
always enjoy your soups 🙂
Ivy
Never made a soup with pork before but it sounds delicious.
Sharon @ Fun and Life
Looks delicious! I love that wedge of lime. I think it always adds such a kick to soup. Not all types of soups of course. But this looks YUM!
Tracey@TangledNoodle
I love soup, and not just during cold seasons! This looks so hearty and healthy, a perfect meal in a bowl. 😎
Sue
You indicate soaked wheat, do you use the whole berry and how long to you soak it and in how much water? As an example: water to cover or twice the volume of water to wheat? Also in directions #1 you place ingredients in the food processor, do you make a paste or chop finely or coarsely? Are the fava beans dry or fresh/frozen?
Thanks in advance, I really enjoy reading your blog and would love to ask you somequestions some time when I want to make something from the book a friend gave me. The book "Taste of Columbia" is a beautiful book but because I have never heard of some of the ingredients the phrase "cover with sufficiant water" or various other instructions, I haven't a clue. Knowledge one might know or learn growing up in Colombia.
Thanks again! Sue
Erica
Sue- soak the wheat for about 1 hour.... you can use about 2 cups of water!
A Canadian Foodie
Soups ARE simple to make from scratch and a favourite of mine, too. This one looks good enough to dive into! The lime must add that sparkle that makes this soup sing. I cannot wait to try it!
🙂
valerie
A Canadian Foodie
PS - thanks for letting me know it was a traditional dish!
Rick Duque
What wine would you pair this with?