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El Ajiaco
El Ajiaco
Colombia's extensive cuisine has its origins in the rich mix of indigenous, African
and Spanish. This cultural variety was different in each area of the country, so the
African influence was stronger in the north of the country, the Spanish influence in
the center and the indigenous influence in the south; despite this, the whole
country is an irrefutable sample of the richness produced by the union of these
three cultures.
Its main ingredient, the potato, is of South American origin, more specifically, from
Peru. As it is a dish originally from Chibcha, the origin of its name is unknown, but,
seeing that it is a dish that exists in other regions, it can be thought of as a generic
name that the Spanish gave to American soups and stews, with "ají" being a main
ingredient. According to Colombian philologist Rufino José Cuervo, his name
comes from this last ingredient, which is characteristic of all ajiacos except for the
santafereño. There are even people, very strange ones, who add stew to this dish.
The stew is a mixture of tomato and onion which, mixed in the heat of a stove for a
few minutes, gives the food an exquisite taste. The stew, by the way, came to our
land through African gastronomy.
Isn't it interesting how Latin American crossbreeding not only gave rise to a
characteristic Latin American morphology, but also to its gastronomy, folklore and
religion? It is always interesting to see the mixture of three continents in one
person and one dish.
To learn a language is to understand and study a culture. Come and learn Spanish
and enrich yourself with a culture that will never cease to amaze you.
El Ajiaco
Fuentes:
https://www.historiacocina.com/paises/articulos/colombia/ajiaco.htm
https://www.relatosdelmovimiento.com/historia-y-cultura/ajiaco-santafereno/
http://www.bogotaturismo.gov.co/sites/default/files/Ajiaco%20Santafere%C3%B1o
%20Exponente%20de%20la%20Tradici%C3%B3n%20Gastron%C3%B3mica.pdf