Ever since I arrived to Medellín in August, many Colombians have mentioned with delight their memories of paseos de olla surrounded by family, eating sancocho de leña (de leña means cooked over a fire) and swimming in local rivers. At first, I had the impression that the tradition of paseo de olla was connected specifically to Christmas, but I soon found out that it's a tradition people take part in all year round, a great excuse to get together with relatives and enjoy a day trip away from the city.
In a traditional paseo de olla, families come together in a nearby natural area, all bringing a portion of the ingredients and supplies necessary to cook traditional sancocho soup over a fire. The ingredients in sancocho vary across regions in Colombia. Here in Medellín, it often includes chicken, yucca, plantain, potato and carrot in a rich, savory broth. Cooking sancocho is a lengthy process, and families bring along heavy iron pots that they can leave over the fire while the sancocho stews. They often arrive in the morning to prepare the soup, and then spend most of the day letting the soup cook over the fire while they spend time with family members. In addition to making the special sancocho, families also play traditional Colombian music, such as Vallenato. They also might take a walk around the park and swim in a river or swimming hole. Children play games together and adults chat while they keep watch over the cooking sancocho.
