Some dishes just don’t photograph well. That’s what I told myself as I tried to make my attempt at Ajiaco look good for the camera. And then I remembered that I took a beautiful photo of this soup during my trip to Colombia in 2019. So much for that theory! 🙂 But more on that later.

In 2019, I spent a week in Bogota and Cartagena. The two cities could not have been more different, from the weather (in the high 50s and damp in Bogota, to 100+ degrees in Cartagena with a humidity that just had me constantly in a different state of damp). Ajiaco was the perfect dish for the weather in Bogota. It was light, but warm to stave off the chill from the rain.

In Cartagena, seafood reigned supreme and I definitely enjoyed the fruit ice drinks. Soursop was a personal favorite. But when it came to coming up with what to make from Colombia, for the cold of January (when I initially cooked this) Ajiaco seemed the best option.

I found the guascas seasoning and was even able to find some of the proper potatoes in my neighborhood grocery store that came in handy with so many South American dishes over the years. But the result was just “eh.” Kind of bland and not as I remembered it. Here’s the photo…as evidence that I tried but this wasn’t a keeper, at least now how I made it. It’s essentially their take on a chicken soup and my guess is there is just something special about how they make it (or they make a really solid chicken stock). In hindsight, I might have phoned this one in.

I can’t recall the exact recipe used, but if you’re interested in trying to make this, there are many available online.

Overall Level of Effort (Scale of 1-5): 1

Skill Level: Beginner

Would Make Again? No.

Additional Notes: Overall I don’t feel this was difficult to make, but finding some of the seasonings and potato varieties can be a bit more difficult, depending on where you live. I ordered the seasoning on Amazon but the potatoes were easily found locally, as mentioned above.