Ajiaco

Ajiaco
Ajiaco is one of the city's most representative dishes in Bogotá, Colombia
Type Soup
Place of origin Colombia, Cuba and Peru
Main ingredients Potatoes

Ajiaco (Spanish pronunciation: [a'xjako]) is a soup common to Colombia, Cuba,[1] and Peru.[2] Scholars have debated the origin of the dish. The dish is especially popular in the Colombian capital, Bogotá, where it is typically made with chicken, three varieties of potatoes, and the Galinsoga parviflora herb. In Cuba, ajiaco is prepared as a stew, while in Peru the dish is prepared with a number of regionally specific variations.

History

The exact origin of this dish has been debated by scholars.[1] In his book Lexicografia Antillana, former president of Cuba Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso stated that the word "ajiaco" derived from "aji", the native Taíno word for "hot pepper."[3] Cuban ethnologist Fernando Ortiz stated that ajiaco was a meal typical of the Taíno, and was an appropriate metaphor for Cuba being a melting pot.[3] In the Cuban city of Camagüey, the San Juan festival begins with the making and serving of ajiaco.[4] La Calle magazine of Cuba stated that the inhabitants of the village of Santa María de Puerto del Príncipe began the tradition of making ajiaco using their own cooking ingredients, donations from passersby, surplus from farmers, and surplus slave provisions.[4] Ajiaco is believed to have become popular in Cuba during the 16th century, particularly among rural Cubans, although it was occasionally enjoyed by the upper class.[5]

Preparation

Ajiaco in Bogotá, Colombia

Colombia

In the Colombian capital of Bogotá, ajiaco is a popular dish typically made with chicken, three varieties of potatoes, and the Galinsoga parviflora herb, commonly referred to in Colombia as guasca and in the U.S., where it is considered a weed, as gallant soldier.[6][7]

Cuba

In Cuba, ajiaco is a hearty stew made from beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, and a variety of starchy roots and tubers classified as viandas.[1][8]

Peru

In Peru, ajiaco is a quite different dish of potatoes cooked with garlic, a mix of dried yellow and red chilies (aji mirasol and aji panca), hierba buena, and huacatay, generally accompanied by rice and stewed chicken or rabbit.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Cuban Ajiaco Recipe". Tasteofcuba.com. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  2. ↑ Clark, Melissa (October 28, 2011). "From Colombia, the Ultimate One-Pot Meal". The New York Times. Accessed April 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Ajiaco cobrero" (in Spanish). Ecured.cu. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  4. 1 2 "El ajiaco de Camagüey". Lacalle.cu. 2013-06-25. Archived from the original on 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  5. ↑ Emblematic dish: the ajiaco | Cubanow
  6. ↑ "Ajiaco Bogotano (Colombian Chicken and Potato Soup)". Mycolombianrecipes.com. 2009-03-19. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
  7. ↑ Americans just don’t understand the potato. Colombians do. – Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs
  8. ↑ Garth, Hanna. 2013 Food and Identity in the Caribbean. Bloomsbury Press.
  • Media related to Ajiaco at Wikimedia Commons
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.