Raul Perez Peña, organizer of the First National Sancocho Festival last year, announced that the second annual event to honor the national dish will be held 17 November to 1 December. He highlighted the many virtues of the Dominican stew. He said that in addition to being the dish par excellence of Dominican gastronomy, it is part of our culture and traditions and brings together friends. A sancocho is served to celebrate a win, a welcoming, a goodbye, a commitment, a business deal, the end of a series of dominos, baseball or other pastimes. One eats sancocho when planning a trip, ending a trip, forming a new political party, or holding a meeting.
The festival participants will be judged in three categories: Guandules (pidgeon peas), Habichuelas (beans) or Sancocho de Siete Carnes (traditional stew of seven meats).
On Saturday, 17 November regional trials will be held, on 24 November the finals in Santo Domingo. On Saturday 1 December, an awards ceremony will announce the winners. For more information, call 622-6246 or 238-5492. (13 September 2001)
