The story
Ajiaco, or ajiaco santafereño, is the classic soup of Bogotá, the high Andean capital once called Santa Fe. It mixes the potatoes and herbs of the region's indigenous cooking with chicken, cream, capers and onion brought by the Spanish in colonial times. The Bogotá version uses three kinds of potato, sabanera, pastusa and the small yellow criolla that melts to thicken the broth, plus guascas, a wild herb that gives it its distinct taste. The name comes from ají, an indigenous word for chilli. Cuba and Peru have different dishes also called ajiaco, but the three-potato chicken soup belongs to Bogotá.
Rival claims
Cuba has a different stew also called ajiaco; the three-potato chicken soup is Bogotá's (ajiaco santafereño).
Also known as ajiaco santafereño, ajiaco bogotano, Colombian chicken and potato soup.
On the Meridish menu
Ajiaco was the soup course on menu No. 18 on October 18, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Chicken soup with three kinds of potato and a wild herb called guascas, topped with cream, capers and corn. A comfort food of this chilly capital 2,600 m up in the Andes.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
