Mute is the Sunday soup of Santander, and it is built on cracked corn rather than potato, which is what separates it from a sancocho. The corn has to soak overnight and then cook long enough to swell and go creamy at the edges, and that is what thickens the pot: there is no flour in it and nothing is blended.
It carries several meats at once, usually pork, beef and tripe, plus chickpeas and whatever vegetables are around. It is a slow pot and a large one: nobody in Santander makes mute for two.
Mute soup is renowned for providing warmth to the body, making it special during extremely cold seasons. It stands out as a distinctive and flavorful soup.
Prepare a delicious mute soup in your kitchen today and surprise your family during these unbearably cold days. Stay and cook with us.
Differences from other recipes
We appreciate simplicity because simple things often have the most flavor, and this recipe proves it.
We use a good hogao in the preparation, which we had ready before starting this recipe, adding a delightful taste.
We add aromatic herbs, enhancing the aroma of our dish, making it irresistible.
What is mute soup?
Mute soup is a typical Colombian dish from central Colombia, especially in the departments of Boyacá and Cundinamarca. It's also renowned in Santander for its delicious taste.
Mute soup is made from precooked corn to which pieces of meat, potatoes, herbs, and other ingredients are added, creating this delicious soup.
How to make mute soup?
Preparing this mute soup is straightforward. Begin by washing the vegetables and meats thoroughly. Cook the corn in ample water on high heat. Once the corn is soft and has opened, drain and set aside.
Next, cut the meat into pieces and cook them in water on high heat. Add cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. Let it cook until the meat becomes tender. Once the meat is ready, add the corn and let it simmer for a few more minutes.
Tie the herbs with a string and add them to the pot along with the potatoes. Add the hogao, stir everything, and continue cooking for about 25 minutes or until everything is tender. All ingredients should be soft. Serve hot with a sprinkle of cilantro on top.
Are there alternative cooking methods?
The original recipe is cooked in a pot over medium-high heat until all ingredients are ready, which can take about 1h 30 minutes to 2 hours.
If you want to reduce the cooking time, you can use a pressure cooker, cutting the cooking time in half, making your time in the kitchen much shorter.
Tips and recommendations
- Ensure the corn and meat are tender, as this largely determines the success of your recipe.
- You can use other aromatic herbs, depending on your preference.
Can it be modified to be vegetarian?
Although this dish is known for the combination of corn and meat, it can easily be modified to be vegetarian. To do so, omit the meat ingredients and add other vegetables like carrots, leeks, peas, etc. You can also flavor it with a vegetable broth.
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Mute FAQ
A thick soup from Santander, in north-central Colombia, built on peeled corn and several cuts of meat cooked slowly together. It is dense enough to be a full meal and is the dish Santandereanos most associate with New Year's Eve dinner.
The name comes from the Spanish word for the peeled corn the soup is built on, and has nothing to do with the English word mute. In Colombia you will usually hear the full name, mute santandereano, which places it in its region.
Peto is white field corn with the hull removed, treated with lime, which is exactly what hominy is. In the United States buy dried or canned hominy, the same corn used for Mexican pozole. Dried is closer to the original but needs long cooking; canned cuts that down sharply.
The base sofrito of Colombian cooking: tomato and scallion cooked down slowly in oil, sometimes with garlic and cumin. It goes into a great many Colombian dishes and is what gives this soup its colour and depth. It is worth making a batch and keeping it in the fridge.
Pork spine and pork trotter are what the recipe uses, and both are sold at Latin butchers. The trotter is not optional for texture: it releases the gelatine that gives mute its body. Beef ribs or tripe are common additions in Santander, and the soup takes them well.
Around an hour and a half of cooking, plus the time the corn needs. If you use dried hominy, soak it overnight and allow considerably longer for it to open and soften; with canned hominy you skip that stage entirely. It is a slow soup by nature.
Yes, and it is generally better the next day, once the corn has finished swelling and the flavours have settled. It thickens noticeably in the fridge, so loosen it with a little water or stock when you reheat it.
📖 Recipe
Mute Santandereano (Colombian Hominy and Meat Soup)
Imprimir Pin ComentarIngredients
- 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 lb pork spine (about 450 g; sold at Latin butchers as espinazo)
- 1 ½ cups peto corn (hominy) (dried or canned hominy, the same corn used for pozole)
- ¾ lb pork trotter (about 340 g; not optional for texture, it releases the gelatine that gives the soup body)
- 6 tablespoons hogao (Colombian sofrito of tomato and scallion cooked down in oil)
- Fresh herbs: thyme, oregano and sage (tied together with string so they come out easily)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Fresh cilantro, chopped (the leaf, not the seed)
- Salt and pepper
- Water (enough to cover the meats generously)
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables and the meats thoroughly.
- Cook the hominy in a pot with plenty of water over high heat.
- Once the corn is tender and the grains have opened, drain it and set it aside.
- Cut the meats into pieces and cook them in water over high heat.
- Add the cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Cook until the meat is tender and coming away from the bone.
- Once the meat is ready, add the corn and let it simmer a little longer.
- Tie the thyme, oregano and sage together with string and add them to the pot along with the potatoes.
- Add the hogao, stir everything together and cook for about 25 minutes more, until the potatoes are breaking at the edges.
- Everything should be soft and the soup thick. Serve hot, with more chopped cilantro on top.
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