Traditional food
Ajiaco Santafereño: Bogotá's Traditional Recipe
How authentic ajiaco santafereño is made — the three potatoes, the guasca herb, the chicken, and the side dishes — and why every ingredient matters.
Ajiaco santafereño is Bogotá's signature soup: a thick preparation of chicken and three kinds of potato, with guasca — an Andean herb — as the ingredient that gives it its distinctive flavor. Without guasca, it technically isn't ajiaco santafereño — it's just another chicken-and-potato soup.
Why three potatoes and not one
Each potato does a different job in the broth: the criolla potato, small and yellow, cooks down until it breaks apart, giving ajiaco its characteristic thick texture. The pastusa potato adds body without falling apart completely. The sabanera potato (or R-12) holds together the most, giving the soup its "chunks." Using just one type of potato completely changes the result.
The guasca
Guasca (Galinsoga parviflora) is a wild Andean herb with an intense, herbal flavor, added toward the end of cooking in a bundle and removed before serving (or finely chopped and left in). It's the ingredient that turns a plain chicken-and-potato broth into, specifically, ajiaco santafereño — outside the Colombian Andes it's hard to find fresh, and nothing else gives quite the same flavor.
The chicken
It's usually cooked whole or in large pieces (breast, thigh) directly in the broth, together with scallion, cilantro, and garlic, until it's fully cooked and easy to shred. The broth from that cooking process is the base for the entire ajiaco.
How it's served
Frequently asked questions
Can I make ajiaco without guasca?
You can make a similar soup, but it wouldn't technically be ajiaco santafereño — guasca is the ingredient that defines the dish. If you can't find it fresh, some stores selling Colombian products abroad carry it dried.
Why does it use three kinds of potato?
Because each one contributes something different: the criolla thickens the broth as it breaks down, the pastusa adds body, and the sabanera keeps whole chunks intact. The result is a texture no single potato can replicate.
Does ajiaco have corn cooked inside the soup?
No, the corn is served on the side, as a whole piece, so each person can add it to their bowl or eat it alongside.
How long does it take to make ajiaco from scratch?
About an hour and a half: the timing is set by how long it takes to cook the chicken and all three potatoes until the criolla potato fully breaks down.
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