Fresh herbs · Dried herbs
Guascas (dried)
Dried leaves of a small Andean herb, the flavour that defines Bogotá's chicken and potato soup, ajiaco.
Also called: guasca, dried guascas, gallant soldier, quickweed, galinsoga
Around the world: guascas (es)
Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
What it is
The leaves of Galinsoga parviflora, a small plant that grows wild in many places (and is treated as a weed outside Colombia). In Bogotá it is sold fresh and dried, and is added to ajiaco while it simmers. Latin American grocers usually stock it dried in jars.
Galinsoga parviflora
How it’s used
- Stirred into ajiaco santafereño for its signature flavour
- Added to other Colombian chicken and potato soups
Characteristics
- Taste
- Grassy and earthy, a little like artichoke and green tea.
- Aroma
- Herbal and hay-like.
- Sold as
- dried, fresh
- Cooking uses
- Commonly cooked, Mainly a seasoning
- Common in
- Colombian
Storage
Cool, dry and dark. Keep dried guascas in a sealed jar away from light for up to a year.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 292 kcal
- Protein
- 26.63 g
- Carbohydrate
- 50.64 g
- Fat
- 5.48 g
- Fibre
- 26.7 g
- Sugars
- 7.27 g
USDA FoodData Central: Spices, parsley, dried (a close stand-in).
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Leave it out — There is no real substitute; the soup is still good without it.
Related ingredients
Recipes with guascas (dried)
Ajiaco santafereño
Colombian · 1 h 40 min · 345 kcal
