COLOMBIAN AJIACO (CHICKEN AND POTATO SOUP)

4 days ago

6 min read

Ajiaco is perhaps one of the most characteristic soups in Colombian cuisine. If I had to describe it, I’d say it’s a soup that traditionally includes three kinds of potato and an herb called guasca. But the history of the ajiaco we know today is the result of the cultural mixing that Colombia has lived through: it blends Indigenous and European ingredients, along with the customs of different eras and regions.

Although it can be prepared in many ways, it keeps that flavor that reminds us of delicious home-cooked meals. It’s no coincidence that in 1899 the Colombian writer and historian José María Cordovez Moure described ajiaco with chicken as “a masterpiece of culinary art.” The most traditional version includes papa criolla, papa sabanera, papa pastusa, long green onions, arracacha, corn on the cob, chicken, and guascas. It’s served with cream, capers, avocado, and, for the bravest, ají (hot pepper).

Origins of colombian ajiaco

There are several theories about the name. The most widespread says it’s called that because the original recipe contained ají. Rufino José Cuervo claimed this in 1907 when he noted that “ajiaco is a dish characterized by ají, as is the case in Cuba, Peru, and Chile […] among us, what is called that is not so spicy.” Another version is an Indigenous legend that says the broth was named when Cacique Aco ruled alongside his wife Aj, and the combination of their names gave birth to the word. Others believe “ajiaco” was simply a generic name for soups and stews, which would explain why there are so many kinds of ajiaco across Latin America.

The idea of this dish, which flourished in the Colonial period, is attributed to the Muisca people who lived in Cundinamarca and Boyacá and cooked a lot with corn. They prepared a soup of potato, onion, and corn, to which ingredients from the Old World were later added, such as chicken, cream, and capers. In fact, ajiaco as we know it wouldn’t be possible without the hens that arrived from Europe around 1537 and adapted to the temperate climate of the Cundiboyacense highlands. Records from travelers in the Colonial era tell us that the first ajiacos were made with beef or mutton.

In the 19th century, according to historians, ajiaco was prepared only on important occasions, such as the celebration of Corpus Christi and Christmas. It was also served to special guests, and it was common to accompany it with a dessert: blackberry preserve, figs with arequipe (dulce de leche), rice pudding, or curuba ice cream, which was the most sought-after pairing.

A dish that has changed over time

What surprised me most while researching is that the ajiaco we now consider “traditional” is relatively recent. A study by Juliana Duque and Shawn Van Ausdal, which compiles comments and recipes for ajiaco from the 16th to the 20th century, shows that:

It was more a way of cooking than a fixed recipe. It was a thick soup whose texture came from starches (potato, yuca, arracacha, plantain) breaking down in the pot. Some versions didn’t even include potato.
Chicken became standard fairly recently, when that meat became cheaper. Before, people used mutton, beef, pork, or salted meat. Capers appear in a recipe from 1923 and cream in one from 1937. Guascas were already used in the 19th century, but they were optional.
It lost the ají that probably gave it its name. Today almost no Colombian recipe includes it.
It exists across the continent. In Cuba, the intellectual Fernando Ortiz said that “Cuba is an ajiaco,” as a metaphor for cultural mixing. In Colombia there were also versions from Santander (with plantain, rice, and cabbage) and from Cartagena (with salted meat, yam, and yuca), now eclipsed by the Bogotá version.
It went from everyday dish to “special” dish. When it became Bogotá’s emblematic dish, it stopped being an ordinary stew and became more elaborate.
Recipes reflect social change. They went from vague notes (“a bit of onion”) to precise instructions, and from educated authors to city women, with the rise of cookbooks in the 1950s and 60s.

Making ajiaco in Germany

The biggest challenge to making this soup in Germany is precisely the types of potato and the guascas. The good news is that Germany also has a huge variety of potatoes. Ideally we’d find papa criolla at the supermarket, but we can make do by mixing floury potatoes (mehligkochend, the ones that release the most starch) with waxy potatoes (festkochend). I used Laura, Agata, and Speisekartoffel, and the result was very good.

I used dried guascas. You can buy them online or at a Latin store. And a fun fact: in Europe, guasca is considered a “weed” and is known as Galinsoga parviflora or Franzosenkraut (the French herb).

Ingredients

(about 7 servings)

1 bone-in chicken breast (bone-in has more flavor; you can leave the skin on if you like)
3 to 4 stalks of long green onion (cebolla larga)
Water
2 ears of corn, cut into 3 to 4 cm pieces (see notes)
8 sprigs of cilantro, or to taste
1 tbsp salt, or to taste
4 tsp dried guascas, or to taste

Potatoes:

2 large waxy potatoes (festkochend), such as Agata or whatever you can find
4 small Laura potatoes (vorwiegend festkochend, mostly waxy), peeled and cut into not-too-thin slices
4 medium Speisekartoffel floury potatoes (mehligkochend), peeled (2 grated and 2 cut into slices)

To serve:

Capers, to taste
Cream, to taste
Avocado
Rice

Instructions

Make the bundle. Tie the long green onions together with the cilantro and, if your guascas are fresh, with them too. If they’re dried, they’re added later.
Fill the pot. In a large pot, place the bundle, the corn pieces (see notes), the chicken breast, the salt, and the 2 grated potatoes. To help the chicken cook faster, you can cut a few slits into it with a knife.
Add the water. Add room-temperature water until everything is covered and the water sits about 3 cm above the ingredients. Heat over high heat and watch that it doesn’t boil over.

Bundle of herbs for the colombian ajiaco

First cooking stage. Once it boils, cook for 10 minutes. If foam rises, skim it off the surface with a spoon.
Second cooking stage. Add the 2 large waxy potatoes in pieces and the guascas. Cook 8 more minutes over high heat.
Shred the chicken. Take the chicken out of the pot, shred it, and set it aside.
Third cooking stage. Add the rest of the potatoes (the Laura and the sliced Speisekartoffel floury potatoes) and cook 10 more minutes, or until they’re soft.
Adjust the seasoning. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. When serving, add the chicken.

If this is your first time making this dish, be patient. With time and practice, you’ll get the consistency and flavor you like best. Serve it with capers, avocado, rice, and cream (see notes).

Notes

The potatoes: the names are a guide and don’t have to be exactly those. Vary between waxy (festkochend) and floury (mehligkochend) potatoes: the first stay firmer and the second release more starch, which is what thickens the soup.
If you don’t get the thickness you want: use the trick that never fails. Take out a bit of the cooking liquid with some potato pieces and blend it in a blender or with a hand blender. Then return it to the pot.
The water: don’t overdo it at the start. It’s better to add water later than to end up with a watery soup.
The bundle is optional: some people chop the green onions into very small pieces and leave them in the soup. It’s a personal choice.
Garlic: some people add garlic to ajiaco. This is also personal and optional.
The cream: I whip it a little with a hand mixer because so far I haven’t found cream in Germany with the same consistency as in Colombia.
The corn: I used non-sweet corn that I found frozen at an Asian supermarket. You can also use the sweet corn sold packaged in regular supermarkets; if so, use 3 ears. Another option is dried sweet corn of normal size.