Colombians are fond of soups, which are eaten much more frequently than they are in North America. Each region has different specialties. Soups on the coast obviously feature more seafood, while soups in the highlands tend to be hearty with meat and vegetables. If you’re in town, you owe it to yourself to try some!
Sancocho de Pescado (fish stew): A sancocho is a hearty fish soup that is traditional on the coasts, especially the northern Caribbean coast. It is usually made with sábalo, a large whitefish (?). It often includes chunks of yuca (manioc), green plantains or potatoes.
Ajiaco Santafereño (Santa Fe chicken soup): This traditional soup is perhaps the most typical dish of Bogotá. Ingredients include chicken, onions, potatoes and hunks of corn (still on the cob). It is seasoned with guasca (a local herb), cilantro and bay leaves. It is all cooked together into a thin soup. It is served with separate dishes of cream (used to thicken the ajiaco), capers and avocados. There are recipes for ajiaco, but without guasca and the special “creole potato” (which falls apart while cooking, making the soup thicker) it is hard to properly replicate this recipe if you’re not in Colombia.
