Ajiaco is a Bogota staple that has been around for centuries and is a symbol of cultural identity. However, if we look at its history, it’s far more complex than that. The name is more related to a formula of native heritage from the Caribbean1.

Ajiaco is like a big ol’ pot of history stewing away on your stove. It’s got ingredients and techniques from different cultures mixed together, making it a delicious and unique dish. There is no one right recipe for Ajiaco; instead, there are different versions of it all over Latin America1.

From Cuba to Colombia: The History of Ajiaco

In simpler terms, ajiaco is a delicious soup made with potatoes, chicken, and corn. The soup is usually thick and creamy, and the flavors meld together perfectly. Ajiaco is like a pot of delicious, hearty stew where the vegetables have all melted together into a scrumptious, thick broth. It’s got chicken, potatoes, corn, and a whole bunch of other goodies, all cooked up into one fantastic dish. The best part is that it’s got this amazing texture from the potatoes falling apart.

Ajiaco is a delicious traditional soup from the region that used to be popular among Muiscas Communities. The word “aji” comes from the Caribbean and the adoption of native words to describe soups and stews prepared with chili pepper2.

The first historical reference to “ajiaco” came from Cuba in 1590 when the governor’s son detailed the recipe. He noted that it was a dish that the people of Cuba commonly ate, consisting of fresh or cured meat in small pieces, cooked with different roots and tubers, and seasoned with chili peppers and annatto2.

Ajiaco is a dish first described in “Vocabulario de Americanismos” by Friar Pedro Simón in 1610. It is a stew made with different herbs, roots, and some meat similar to “olla podrida” from Spain. In some places, this stew was called “locro.”3

Soup of the conquerors: How the Spanish changed Ajiaco forever

The delicious ajiaco caught the attention of the Spanish when they settled in present-day Bogotá. This soup was like nothing they had ever tasted before! It was a mix of various tubers cooked over a fire and seasoned with chili and other endemic plants called Guascas, which gave the soup its characteristic flavor4.

The conquerors thought the chili in the soup was spicy and not very tasty. In the same way, they were not pleased because the Muiscas did not eat meat4.

But as the provisions of the Spaniards quickly ran out, they had to start feeding themselves in the same way as the natives. However, this lasted a short time since these new hands intervened in the preparation. The Spaniards were not used to the native form of cooking and soon got tired of it4.

The newly reformed ajiaco would not have chili in it, which, although they found it healthy, was not very pleasant. In contrast, it was encouraged that the preparation had, for the moment, a portion of any meat. This modification apparently had better flavor and taste for the Spanish settlers3.

The Many Faces of Ajiaco: A Dish for All Occasions

When reading about different variations of ajiaco, it’s clear that this dish has been around for centuries and has undergone many changes. It’s a testament to the ingenuity of pre-Columbian cultures, who created this dish to suit their needs. Today, we continue to adapt the recipe to make it our own. Whether you like your ajiaco spicy or mild, with chicken or beef, there’s a version out there for everyone5.

Although the soup preparation was constantly changing, the base ingredients of the ajiaco we know today were cultivated by the indigenous people long before the arrival of the Europeans. For example, the native people of the Amazon rainforest have been using aji plants to make delicious recipes for centuries5.

The santafereño ajiaco has overshadowed other ajiacos in Colombia’s different regions and historical periods. Ajiaco recipes with chicken as we know it today were unified in the 1970s; however, this does not prevent other varieties from appearing in recipe books. For example, the Cartagena ajiaco, the Santanderean ajiaco, the arracacha ajiaco, and the Tolima ajiaco are still preserved5.

These recipes became very popular in the Caribbean. In 1748 Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa wrote “a Relación histórica del viage a la América meridional” in which they narrated the daily lifestyle in Cartagena. They describe ”ajiaco” as a widespread recipe made with different spices, pork belly or pork rinds, poultry, plantain, corn dough, and seasoned with chili2.

Ajiaco is a delicious traditional Colombian soup that has been around for centuries! Travelers in the XIX century described it as a must-try when visiting Colombia. Although there wasn’t a specific recipe back then, and not all the ingredients matched up, we can still identify some trends in the recipes. Using beef, lamb, goat, pork, and chicken as the meat was common. The usual choice was to use potatoes, arracacha, plantain, cassava, and corn. At the beginning of the XX century, chicken became the most popular to prepare ajiaco6.

Ajiaco: A Taste of Bogota’s Past

Ajiaco was pretty popular back in the day, no matter what social class you belonged to. But of course, how it was prepared depended on how fancypants you were. If you were part of the upper class, you could expect a more lavish dish with ingredients like beef, pork, and chicken. However, if you were one of the lower-class folk, you would typically get a simpler version of the dish made with just potatoes, corn, and various veggies.

The chicken was a sign of wealth and status in Bogotan society in the 19th century. It was seen as a special meal for wealthy circles, and workers and peasants could not consume it because of its high prices. You were definitely upper crust if you could afford to serve chicken at your dinner party. Your guests would be totally impressed and probably a little bit jealous6.

The ajiaco was the perfect dish for the ladies of high society and the church during religious festivals. It was a healthy meal that was easy to digest and provided the necessary nutrients for a long day of fasting. Plus, it was a symbol of purity and virtue, making it the perfect dish for the ladies to consume during religious fasting6.

It’s perfect when you want something tasty but you don’t want to deal with the hassle of cooking fish. Fish can be complicated to transport and preserve and tend to rot quickly. The ajiaco, on the other hand, is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that everyone can enjoy6.

There’s nothing quite like a steaming bowl of ajiaco on a cold winter’s night, and Christmas is the perfect time to enjoy it. The rich, hearty soup is sure to warm you up and fill you up, and the variety of flavors will leave you wanting more. It was almost sure that people wanted to offer the very famous potato and chicken ajiaco at Christmas dinners6.

In 1937, the first record of ajiaco modern recipe was created, quickly becoming the most popular dish among people. This flavorful and hearty soup is made with chicken, potatoes, corn, and various spices, making it a perfect meal for any time of day. The popularity of ajiaco has only grown in recent years as more and more people discover this traditional dish’s deliciousness5.

There are a few possible explanations for why the recipe expanded, based on economic factors and improvements to food production. It could be due to any or all of the following reasons: 

  • More ingredients became available as trade routes opened up and globalization increased.
  • The invention of new cooking techniques and methods
  • The influence of other cultures on cuisine (for example, through colonialism and immigration).

However, there’s no one answer that definitively explains why the recipe changed. It’s a complicated question and probably has several different causes5.

  1. Quiroz Arango, M. C. (2012). El ajiaco ¿santafereño? In R. Delgado, Selección de ensayos sobre alimentación y cocinas de Colombia. (pp. 447 – 452). Bogotá: Ministerio de Cultura.[↩][↩]
  2. Morales Bedoya, E. (2010). Fogón caribe. La historia de la gastronomía del caribe colombiano. Barranquilla: Editorial La Iguana Ciega.[↩][↩][↩]
  3. Moreno Blanco, L. (2012). Palabras junto al fogón. Selección de golosos textos culinarios y antología de viandas olvidadas. Retrieved from Biblioteca básica de Cocinas Tradicionales de Colombia: https://www.mincultura.gov.co/Sitios/patrimonio/bibliotecas-de-cocinas/tomos/tomo14.pdf[↩][↩]
  4. Salamanca Osorio, A. (2015). El Ajiaco como Exponente de la Tradición Gastronómica. Retrieved from Instituto Distrital de Turismo: http://www.bogotaturismo.gov.co/sites/default/files/Ajiaco%20Santafere%C3%B1o%20Exponente%20de%20la%20Tradici%C3%B3n%20Gastron%C3%B3mica.pdf[↩][↩][↩]
  5. Duque, J., & Van Ausdal, S. (2008). Los ajiacos colombianos. Revista de Estudios Sociales, 158-165.[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
  6. Martínez Carreño, A. (2012). Mesa y cocina en el siglo XIX. Retrieved from Biblioteca básica de Cocinas Tradicionales de Colombia: https://www.mincultura.gov.co/Sitios/patrimonio/bibliotecas-de-cocinas/tomos/tomo07.pdf[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]