Thread: San Cocho
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Old July 28, 2010   #6
Tom Wagner
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Sancocho and ajiaco? Sorry, but I don't have any first hand experience with those dishes, however.....Both Sancocho and Ajiaco are Colombian soups. I forgot where I found this source, but..
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There are recipes for ajiaco, but without guasca and the specialcreole potato” (which falls apart while cooking, making the soup thicken) it is hard to properly replicate this recipe if you’re not in Colombia.

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"El Ajiaco" : Chicken soup thickened with three variety of potatoes (papa sabanera, papa criolla, papa pastusa and hojas de guascas = wild leaves) served with young corn, cream and avocado.
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SANCOCHO DE GALLINA
A typical soup from Cali, Sancocho de Gallina takes the meaning of chicken soup to another level. This hearty soup contains chicken, plantains, yucca, cilantro, potatoes, and plenty of other tasty ingredients. Sancocho is widespread throughout the country, with countless regional variants.
Of the varieties available here in the States, I would suggest GERMAN BUTTERBALL as a potato that falls apart when completely cooked. If you wish to try this variety out I could send a one pound box for $5 postpaid as a research project.

I know I answered a similar question on this topic back in February but I think adding to the discussion is important.

What does Sabanera stand for in English...

plains woman is a rough translation of Sabanera
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papa sabanera
(en Colombia) la papa sabanera tiene corteza morada y es indispensable para los asados
meaning reddish purple potato good for roasting.

I wanted to find descriptions of the varieties used in these recipes in Colombia and found these sites:
http://www.bogota-dc.com/food/papas.htm
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The Sabanera (red table potato), can be identified by its reddish purple colour with dark yellow spots. After brushing the skin its reddish colour really should stand out. The flesh is yellow and hard and it has a generally rounded shape.
It is an annual crop in the months of June and July and can be found in the region of Boyaca, Colombia.
This potato must be stored in a dry & dark place in order to keep for several months. It is mainly used, because of its firmness, to make potato chips and french fries. It can be replaced with red table potatoes.

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The Paramuna (baking potato), also called PASTUSA or PARDA, has a yellow skin without spots. The flesh is also yellow and soft, very starchy, and it is generally shaped like an oval. There can be up to 3 harvests a year. When cooked it dissolves very easily, for that reason is an essential base for the ajiaco.
It can also be used to make baked potatoes. It can be replaced with baking potatoes. Its price is much lower than the sabanera.


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The Criolla (pickled potato) has a skin colour that is yellow earth. Its flesh is also yellow, soft, and it is round and small in size. The crop has to be used very fast because it spoils easily.
This potato is an essential part of the ajiaco and should not be peeled. Its origin comes from the central part of Colombia and is unique. It is also cheaper than the sabanera.
In North America it is known as "Native Potato". You can find the real "Criolla" in cans as Pickled Potatatos in some Latin American supermarkets.
http://www.bogota-dc.com/food/images/papas.jpg shows the three varieties

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Criolla is cultivated at an altitude of 6,500 feet and is always roasted or boiled in its skin.
Sabanera is one of the most popular Colombian varieties suitable for roasting, baking, or steaming.
Use papa Sabanera from the plains of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, two states in Colombia. Papa Paramuna from the high plateau, papa Pastusa from Pasto, and papa Criolla a small and yellow potato that disolves in the soup giving it its consistency.
http://www.bogota.gov.co/portel/libreria/php/x_frame_detalle.php?id=40239



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There are about 30 different types of potatoes in Colombia, of which about 10 are popular. The most known and used are Criolla (S. Phureja), Sabanera
(ssp andigena) and Pastusa (which comes from Sabanera) (ssp andigena). These are all native potatoes that resulted from cloning projects done on traditional potatoes. The last one is the variety with the most commercial value in the Bogota market, growing at least 3,000 meters above sea level.

Criolla is a small, round, yellow type of potato. It is soft and starchy. In traditional cuisine they are fried whole and served with a lot of salt with “fritanga” which is a popular dish which combines “chorizo” (type of pork sausage), blood sausage and “chicharron” (pork scratchings). This dish is found around Colombia on street stands and is usually eaten without silverware.

One of the new and more gourmet manners in which this potato is being served by the new Colombian wave gastronomy is as mashed potatoes. Usually, mashed potatoes are prepared with Pastusa or Sabanera, but many chefs that specialize in Pacific Coast cuisine are serving this new type of yellow mashed potatoes as a side dish with fish.

Sabanera potatoes are grown in the province of Boyaca and it is greatly appreciated for its texture, dry consistency and flavor. It is most used at chicken broasteries, which are very popular in Bogota and its surroundings. Any ‘respectable’ Colombian eats broasted chicken and potatoes. It is the Colombian variety of a baked potato. It is also usually served at BBQs with guacamole or home made aji (which is a type of spicy sauce made of water, tomato, onion, coriander and spicy peppers).

Another commonly used type of potato is ‘Pastusa’ which is similar to ‘Sabanera’ but is much softer, it crumbles when it is baked so it is perfect for soup. Because of its consistency it is also used in international dishes like gnocchi, which is a pasta dish that comes from Genova but is eaten around the world. It has a difficult preparation so it is not easy to find but many Bogota, Italian restaurants serve this delicacy.
I have many andigenum potato accessions but not Sabanera. I could get true seed of it and try them out to find one or more that look, cook, and taste similar. If I find the time I could request this line....
PI 243416 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum - CCC 250 - Cauca, Colombia --
SABANERA : LOCALNAME Made available in 1957 TPS only


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/...086bdce62d.jpg for a picture of Sabanera, Criolla and Pastusa Potatoes


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqeIakJhmx...h/IMG_7620.JPG picture of Pastusa in market place
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VqeIakJhmx...h/IMG_7623.JPG picture of criolla

Like I said, I don't have Sabanera but I could request clones collected in the same location as Sabanera circa 1957. I could make this a project for collection and breeding. Interesting names.

Collected in: Cauca, Colombia donated 1957-1984
PI 498176 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum –No Name
PI 243414 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - GUATA
PI 498175 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum –No Name
PI 247355 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - GUATA PURACENA
PI 247353 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - PASTUZA
PI 247351 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum - GUATA MALVACENA
PI 247348 Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - GUATA ROJA
PI 243423 Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - GUATA BLANCA
PI 243422 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - PAMBA GUATA
PI 243421 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum - CARETA
PI 243420 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - GUATA BLANCA
PI 243418 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. Andigenum - CARETA
PI 243416 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum - SABANERA
PI 243415 - Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum - GUATA ALMIDONA

So many of my previous collections of andigenum are from Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina, however, I will take a quick sampling of those later this year to see what the cooking qualities are compared to what I know now about Sabanera.
PI 280952 is one that I have used extensively in breeding. It is from Bolivia, and the one seedling line of that is being increased where I should have enough to spare some for eating. I planted a few just a short while ago in order to get the bulking of the potatoes occurring during the shorter days of September and early October in order to mimic the short days of Bolivia.


In any event, I will go through about twenty accessions of andigenum and the many seedling clones of those to see what I have for the flavor and cooking types. If I don't respond to this topic later on this summer/fall please give me a nudge.
Tom Wagner
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