Ajiaco Cubano (Cuban Root Vegetable Stew)
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Ajiaco Cubano (Cuban Root Vegetable Stew)

30m
Prep
120m
Cook
8
Servings
Medium
Difficulty

Cuba's great country stew: beef and pork simmered with corn, yuca, sweet potato, malanga, squash and plantains in a rich broth, finished with a sofrito and lime. Not to be confused with Colombian ajiaco.

#cuban#stew#root-vegetables#beef#pork#corn#plantain

Servings

8servings

Ingredients

Nutrition

calories520
protein30g
carbs60g
fat18g
fiber8g

Per serving

Steps

Simmer the meats

Simmer the meats

Put the beef, pork, water and salt in a very large pot (at least 6 litres / 6 quarts). Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour.

  • 500 g beef
  • 500 g pork
  • 3 litres water
  • 2½ tsp salt

✅ Done when: meat is almost tender and the foam has been skimmed off

⏱1:00:00
Add the slow-cooking vegetables

Add the slow-cooking vegetables

Add the corn, yuca, malanga and green plantain to the pot. Keep the broth gently simmering, partly covered, for 20 minutes.

  • 2 corn cobs
  • 300 g yuca
  • 300 g malanga
  • 1 green plantain

✅ Done when: vegetables are starting to soften but still firm

⏱20:00

Add the soft vegetables

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Make the sofrito

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Finish the ajiaco

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Serve

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History & Culture

The Story Behind the Dish

📍 Rural Cuba📅 Taíno roots, colonial form🍲 CU

Ajiaco is often called Cuba's oldest dish. Its roots go back to the Taíno, who stewed root vegetables in a pot with ají chillies; the Spanish added meats, and Africans brought new vegetables and cooking traditions.

The Cuban writer Fernando Ortiz famously used ajiaco as a symbol of Cuban identity: a pot where many different ingredients from many cultures simmer together into something new.

⭐ Why It's Famous

Packed with tropical root vegetables and tender meat, it's a hearty one-pot meal that tells the story of Cuba itself.

💡 Fun Fact

Cuban ajiaco and Colombian ajiaco share a name but are completely different dishes; the Colombian one is a potato and chicken soup from Bogotá.

🍲

Rural Cuba

22.40°N, -79.97°W