Colombian Ajiaco

Colombian ajiaco, is a comforting chicken and potato soup served with avocado, cilantro, cream, and capers.

A delicious one-pot meal that brings family and friends together from the big city of Bogota.

Colombian cuisine

Colombia is a country that enjoys a variety of climate and ecological soil. With this comes the different traditional dishes of each region.

The Caribbean is characterized by having the influence of indigenous, European, black, and mestizo cultures. Traditional dishes have fish, seafood, and plantains.

In the Pacific region, roasted guinea pig and corn abound.

Rice dominates the Orinoquía region (Eastern planes). You can find rice bread and rice cake, among other rice-based dishes.

The Amazon region, located in the south of the country, presents exotic gastronomy such as the turtle egg, boa, fish typical of the region, plantains, and exotic fruits.

In the Andean region, you can find a great variety of soups like sancocho and ajiaco, which are ideal for the coldest climate of the 2,600 meters of altitude of Bogotá.

What is ajiaco?

Colombian ajiaco is made by cooking down three types of potatoes -- papa criolla (small yellow potato), papa sabanera (small purple potato), and papa pastusa (white potato) -- along with chicken and a few vegetables.

This chicken and potato soup or stew is hearty but not heavy.

This Colombian soup is consumed at any time of the year and is perfect for cold days. It is just what you need to cozy up to after a long day.

What is guascas?

To flavor the broth, a weed called guascas (commonly called Quickweed) is used.

You may wonder what guascas tastes like: it adds a flavor and richness all its own that is very hard to describe. It is essential in the the true flavor of ajiaco.

This fresh herb is hard to find outside South America. However, you can easily buy it online in dry form. That is recommended if you are making this soup, as guascas is what makes ajiaco unique.

Street Food: Latin America Netflix series

In July of 2020, a new series started on Netflix. In this series called "Street Food: Latinoamérica", the crew travels to Oaxaca, México; Salvador, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Perú; Bogotá, Colombia, and La Paz, Bolivia.

Each episode focuses on the stories of perseverance and the culture that gives life to the gastronomy of each city.

The fifth episode talks about street food in Bogotá, Colombia.

The program focuses on La Plaza de la Perseverancia (Perseverance plaza) and the food stall of Mrs. Luz Dary Cogollo who has won an award for making the best ajiaco in Bogotá.

Award winning ajiaco

Luz talks about her childhood on the coast of Colombia and learning how to cook.

Once she moved to Bogotá and had a family, she started selling food in the streets. Walking day in and day out with her son who helped her carry and serve juice.

After doing this for a few years and her son being almost hit by a car, she decided to look for a stall in the Concordia plaza.

Little by little her clientele grew, but once again dismay arrived when the Concordia plaza was closed.

A few years later, she was able to have a food stall at the Plaza de la Perseverancia where people started coming for her ajiaco.

It became very popular and during the La Barra Awards (The hottest Colombian food awards, the Oscars of the culinary world in Colombia), Luz Dary Cogollo won for the best ajiaco in Bogotá.

Now it's your turn!

Change up your chicken soup this fall and winter! Grab some guascas and give this Colombian soup a try.

Ajiaco is so easy to make at home, you'll love the simplicity of it and delicious final product. This is a hearty homestyle recipe everyone will enjoy!

More chicken soup recipes from around the world

Chicken soup is supremely comforting and perfect for a chilly day. Try this Bolivian chicken noodle soup or a classic American chicken and dumplings (made easy in the slow cooker).