Before I moved to Costa Rica, I did not think I would add Toucan Soup to
my recipe book. My Bribri friends in Talamanca have taught me otherwise. I’ve learned that toucan meat
can be prepared in a number or forms, from fried to smoked, much like chicken
or turkey; here, I share a recipe that is a favorite among my Bribri friends called Wacho, or, as I’ve translated it, Toucan Soup. Pig or chicken meat is now
commonly substituted in this soup, but you’ll still find people who treasure
this heirloom recipe.
Recipe for Urrék (Toucan in Bribri)
Pluck and
fillet the Toucan as you would any wild foul or chicken (boiling the bird may
help remove feathers)
Fry the
pieces of meat in a large pot with onion, garlic, wild cilantro and peppers,
and salt (root vegetables can be added at this step, such as yucca)
Add water
and bring to a boil; keep on the fire until the meat is cooked
Once the
meat is cooked, stir in white rice
Finish
cooking your soup until rice is tender and serve hot
Learning about toucan as a food left me with a few lingering questions:
What other wild birds are important foods? Why are these foods important to people
who eat them? And, what do they taste like? I hope to learn more about these wild
delicacies as my time passes in Talamanca. I often reflect on how fortunate I
am to participate in indigenous family traditions that have been practiced for
hundreds of years. At the same time, I’m sorry I didn’t spent more time asking
my grandparents to show me how to fillet a chancellor chicken or stuff a moose
heart.
If you are intrigued to learn a few more heirloom recipes, check out a
favorite book of mine called Renewing America’s Food Traditions. Reading these
recipes will be even more rewarding if you can find someone who knows how to
prepare them.
Listen to toucans I recorded while visiting a friends' farm in Costa Rica:
