Sonso
“Santa Cruz Camba snack — boiled cassava mashed with grated white cheese, formed around a skewer or into balls, then grilled or fried until cheese melts inside a crispy yuca crust. Streetside warmer; afternoon snack with coffee.”
Where it comes from
Sonso (a Camba word meaning 'silly' or 'simple') is a 19th-century Santa Cruz Camba snack — yuca was the local indigenous staple and white cheese the criollo dairy contribution. The grilling-on-stick technique is the Camba signature.
On the plate
Pull a sonso off the skewer — the yuca shell is crisp from grilling, the interior steamy and stretchy with melted cheese. Salt-and-starch with a faint smoky char. The simplest Camba afternoon pleasure.
How it works
Boiling yuca gelatinizes the starch, making it bindable; mashing while warm and mixing with cheese creates a moldable dough. Grilling on a skewer keeps the surface dry enough to crisp; the cheese stays sealed inside.
Variations
Sonso Frito (deep-fried instead of grilled). Sonso Relleno (stuffed with meat). Sonso Asado (oven-baked). Sonso de Camote (sweet-potato version).
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓45 min active · 15 min waiting
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓- 133 min
Peel and chunk 1 kg yuca; boil in salted water 30 min until very tender. Drain.
- 26 min
Mash yuca with a fork while still warm, until smooth. Mix in 250g grated queso fresco (or mozzarella), 2 tbsp butter, salt to taste.
- 35 min
Cool slightly. Take a handful (3-4 tbsp), shape around a wooden skewer or roll into 6cm balls.
- 49 min
If grilling: brush with oil; grill 4 min per side over charcoal until golden marks. If frying: deep-fry at 175°C for 5 min total.
- 52 min
Serve hot, on the skewer or as balls, with a side of llajwa salsa or chimichurri.
