Bogotá's golden potato-chicken soup gets its character from three potato varieties and one irreplaceable herb — guascas. Without it, the dish is a different soup entirely.
About Ajiaco
Bogotá's defining soup — a thick, golden stew of three types of potato (creamy papa pastusa, waxy papa criolla and thickening papa sabanera), chicken and the herb guascas that gives it its uniquely earthy, hay-like fragrance; served with cream, capers and corn on the cob; a Bogotano's cure for altitude and cold alike.
Bogotá's defining dish: a thick golden stew of three potato varieties (papa pastusa, papa criolla and papa sabanera), chicken and the herb guascas that gives it its uniquely earthy fragrance. Served with cream, capers and corn on the cob. The three potatoes cook at different rates — the sabanera dissolves into the broth while the others remain intact.
“Bogotá's defining dish: a thick golden stew of three potato varieties (papa pastusa, papa criolla and papa sabanera), chicken and the herb guascas that gives it its uniquely earthy fragrance.”
The herb guascas is what makes ajiaco Bogotano — without it the soup lacks the earthy, hay-like note that defines the dish. It's not substitutable.
What to Expect
The ajiaco arrives in a clay bowl, the broth thick and gold, the corn cob standing upright in the centre. You add the cream and stir. The capers go in last. The guascas fragrance is present in every spoonful.
Why Try It
Ajiaco is the taste of Bogotá's high-altitude climate — warming, substantial and specific to a city at 2,600 metres.
Insider Tips
- La Puerta Falsa in Bogotá's La Candelaria (since 1816) is the most historic address.
- The cream and capers are served separately — add them at the table to your preference.
- Eat it at lunch, not dinner. It's a midday dish.
