P
Latin American
Ajiaco Bogotano
Bogotá's defining soup — a triple-potato broth using three Colombian Andean potato varieties (papa criolla, papa pastusa, and papa R12 or guata) that produce a rich, naturally creamy, golden-yellow soup through the different starch structures of each potato variety. Papa criolla (a small yellow potato with high sugar content) virtually dissolves into the broth, providing the creamy body; papa pastusa holds its shape for texture; the third variety provides a middle consistency. Corn on the cob, bone-in chicken, and the herb guascas (dried Galinsoga parviflora) complete the dish — the guascas is the defining aromatic, and its absence changes the soup from ajiaco to plain chicken-potato soup. Served with heavy cream, capers, and avocado on the side.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1.2 kg
bone-in chicken pieces
skin on
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
papa pastusa
peeled, cut into large chunks
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
papa R12 or papa guata
peeled, cut into chunks
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
400 g
papa criolla (papa amarilla)
halved; substitute Yukon Gold if unavailable
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
ears of corn on the cob
cut into rounds, approximately 4 cm thick
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
dried guascas (Galinsoga parviflora)
crumbled
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 litres
water
Your own market
To serve
120 ml
heavy cream
in a jug at the table
Your own market
60 g
capers
with brine, in a bowl at the table
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
ripe avocados
halved and stoned, served at the table
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Place the bone-in chicken pieces in a large pot with the water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, skimming any grey foam that rises. Add the papa pastusa, the papa R12 or guata, the corn rounds, and the guascas. Maintain a steady, uncovered simmer. The broth is ready to proceed when the chicken is cooked through and the pastusa chunks are just beginning to yield at the edges — approximately 40 to 45 minutes.
2
Lift the chicken from the broth. When cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones and shred it into substantial pieces. Discard the bones and skin. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
3
Add the papa criolla to the pot with exactly 30 minutes of cooking time remaining. This is where the dish lives or dies: added too early, the papa criolla dissolves entirely and is lost; added too late, it contributes chunks to a thin broth rather than the creamy, golden-yellow body that defines ajiaco bogotano. The broth is ready when it has turned opaque and pale gold and coats the back of a spoon lightly — the papa criolla will have largely dissolved into it.
4
Taste the broth for salt. Ladle into warmed clay pots or deep bowls, ensuring each portion receives corn rounds, shredded chicken, and pieces of pastusa and the third variety. Serve immediately, with the heavy cream, capers and their brine, and halved avocados arranged separately at the table for each diner to add according to preference.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Fresh papa criolla sourced from a Colombian or Andean specialist market; a free-range, corn-fed chicken with visible collagen in the joints; wild-harvested or artisan-dried guascas.
02
Estate — Imported dried papa criolla from a Latin American grocer alongside papa pastusa; a good free-range bird; reliably sourced dried guascas from a specialist supplier.
03
Market — Yukon Gold substituted for papa criolla (high starch and moisture content approximates the behaviour in broth); standard supermarket chicken, bone-in; guascas from a Latin market.
04
House — Yukon Gold for papa criolla, a single additional floury variety standing in for R12; any bone-in chicken pieces available; guascas sourced online — their presence at any quality level remains required.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The broth turns opaque and pale gold as papa criolla dissolves; it coats the back of a spoon with a light, creamy film.
◇Smell. A dry, faintly bitter, herbaceous note from the guascas rises above the chicken broth — distinct from plain poultry stock.
◇Touch. Papa pastusa yields at the centre when pressed but does not crumble; papa criolla offers no resistance and has largely broken down into the liquid.
◇Sight. The corn rounds retain their structure and their cut faces have turned bright yellow from the broth.
◇Where it lives or dies. The papa criolla must be added with precisely 30 minutes remaining: this narrow window is the only point at which it dissolves into a creamy, collagen-rich broth rather than disappearing entirely or sitting as a chunk in thin liquid.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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