What Ajiaco Leaves on Carpet
Ajiaco bogotano is the quintessential soup of Bogotá and Colombia's most celebrated regional dish — a thick, hearty chicken and potato soup that is deeply tied to the food culture of the Colombian highlands. The defining characteristic of ajiaco is the simultaneous use of three distinct varieties of Colombian potato: papas criollas (small, yellow-skinned native Colombian potatoes with waxy flesh that partially dissolve during cooking, releasing starch that naturally thickens the broth to a silky, cream-of-potato consistency), papas pastusas (medium-sized white potatoes that provide substance), and papas sabaneras (a harder white variety from the Colombian savanna that holds its shape during cooking). Shredded chicken breast (pollo desmechado) is poached in the broth. The defining herb is guascas (Galinsoga parviflora) — a dried herb native to the Colombian and Peruvian Andes with a mild, slightly artichoke-like flavour that is the signature aromatic of ajiaco and unavailable outside Colombia and its diaspora communities. Fresh corn on the cob pieces are cooked in the broth. Cream (crema de leche) and capers are served as condiments on the side. On carpet, ajiaco creates a starchy, pale-yellow broth stain — the papas criollas give the broth its distinctive pale golden colour from the yellow skin carotenoids and the heavy potato starch. The fat load is low (chicken breast is very lean). The starch is the dominant chemical component requiring enzyme treatment.
What You Will Need
- Spoon (for shredded chicken, potato pieces, and corn)
- Cold water
- Clean white cloths or paper towels
- Cornflour (one round for chicken fat and any cream condiment)
- Enzyme carpet cleaner (protease and amylase enzyme)
- Dish soap (one teaspoon per 250ml cold water)
- Hydrogen peroxide 3% (one round if visible yellow or green tint remains)
- Baking soda (overnight for guascas and chicken broth aroma)
Step 1: Remove Chicken, Potato, and Corn Pieces
Collect shredded chicken strands with a spoon — they will be saturated with the starchy broth. Collect potato pieces from both the intact varieties (pastusas and sabaneras) and any pieces of the partially-dissolved papas criollas (these will be very soft and will break further if pressed). Collect corn cob pieces. If the cream condiment was added to the bowl before the spill, collect any cream-enriched portions separately — cream adds a significant fat component to an otherwise low-fat soup.
Step 2: Blot the Potato Starch Broth
Blot the pale golden broth from the outer edge inward. The ajiaco broth is significantly thicker than a standard chicken broth due to the dissolved papas criollas starch — it has a slightly viscous, cream-of-potato texture that spreads somewhat slowly. Apply cold water and blot twice more. The broth has a mild, chicken-and-herb aroma rather than a strong spice profile.
Step 3: Apply Cornflour for Chicken Fat and Cream Condiment
Ajiaco made with chicken breast is very low in fat — poached chicken breast is one of the leanest proteins. One cornflour round is the standard for plain ajiaco. If the cream condiment (crema de leche — Colombian table cream, approximately 30% fat) was added to the bowl and spilled with the soup, the cream significantly increases the fat load — apply two cornflour rounds for cream-enriched ajiaco. Ajiaco made with chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on — common in home cooking) is higher in fat; two cornflour rounds for the thigh version.
Step 4: Apply Enzyme Cleaner for Potato Starch and Chicken Protein
Apply cold water and blot. Apply enzyme carpet cleaner and allow 20 minutes. The potato starch from the dissolved papas criollas is the highest-volume stain component in ajiaco — amylase enzyme is the primary treatment for this component. Chicken protein responds to protease. Corn starch from the corn pieces also responds to amylase. Cream casein protein (if cream was added) responds to protease. The guascas herb is used in dried form and adds minimal protein or starch — it contributes primarily to aroma rather than chemical stain components. Follow with dish soap. Blot and rinse.
Step 5: Address the Pale Yellow and Cilantro Green Colour
Ajiaco is a pale, subtle colour — the broth is light golden-yellow from the papas criollas carotenoids (mild) and any cilantro added for garnish provides a green note. After the enzyme step, assess whether a visible yellow or green mark remains. On most carpets, the colour from ajiaco is very mild and may not require a peroxide step at all. If a visible tint remains, apply hydrogen peroxide 3%, allow 10 minutes, blot and rinse. One round is always sufficient. If capers were added to the bowl (the traditional Colombian condiment for ajiaco), the caper brine (vinegar-salt) can leave a faint yellow-green tint from the caper flavonoids — also addressed by one peroxide round.
Step 6: Treat the Guascas and Chicken Broth Aroma
Apply baking soda over the fully dried area and allow overnight. Ajiaco has a gentler aroma profile than most meat soups — the guascas herb gives a mild, slightly artichoke-like note, and the chicken broth adds a mild savoury aroma. This is not a strongly aromatic spill compared to cumin-spiced or cinnamon-spiced dishes. One overnight baking soda application is almost always sufficient. The capers (if present) add a brine-vinegar note that is volatile and dissipates without specific treatment beyond the baking soda.
Potato Starch Residue or Cream Condiment Remaining?
The thick potato starch from dissolved papas criollas can leave a starchy residue in carpet pile if not fully treated. We can connect you with a local carpet cleaner in the Sutherland Shire.
Find a Matched Local SpecialistSutherland Shire Cleaners is a local matching and referral service. We connect you with local providers — we do not supply cleaning services directly.
Frequently asked
The ajiaco was a Cali-style version — the Pacific coast variant uses a different herb combination (replacing guascas with fresh cilantro and oregano) and includes hogao sauce (Colombian sofrito of tomato and spring onion reduced with cumin and salt) stirred into the soup. The hogao adds tomato colour and cumin to the ajiaco. Does the Cali-style ajiaco stain differently from the classic Bogotá version?
Cali-style ajiaco with hogao sauce (hogao is a Colombian sofrito — tomato, spring onion, cumin, salt, and sometimes a touch of colour from annatto) has a significantly different colour profile from classic Bogotá ajiaco: (1) Hogao tomato colour — the tomato in hogao adds lycopene red-orange colour to the broth, changing the pale gold of Bogotá ajiaco to an orange-tinged broth. The peroxide step becomes more important for Cali-style ajiaco — apply one peroxide round to address the hogao lycopene even if the colour appears mild. (2) Cumin in the hogao — cumin adds its characteristic persistent aromatic note. The overnight baking soda step should address the cumin component (one night is sufficient). (3) Fresh cilantro and oregano instead of guascas — cilantro chlorophyll and oregano aromatic compounds; the peroxide step addresses the cilantro green. (4) Spring onion in the hogao — mild onion compounds that are volatile and addressed by the baking soda step. The fat load is slightly higher in Cali-style ajiaco because the hogao is cooked in oil — two cornflour rounds if cream was also added, one round if cream was omitted.
We were making ajiaco from scratch and the spill was of raw papas criollas juice — the small yellow Colombian potatoes were being peeled and their starchy, slightly milky juice was collecting on the cutting board, which slipped and the potato peelings and juice fell on the carpet. Raw potato juice and peeling starch are different from cooked ajiaco broth. Does raw papa criolla juice stain?
Raw papa criolla juice (the starchy, milky white liquid that exudes from freshly peeled or cut papas criollas) is primarily raw potato starch in water, combined with some potato polyphenol oxidase (the enzyme responsible for potato browning on cut surfaces). Raw potato juice stain differences from cooked ajiaco broth: (1) Raw potato starch is in suspension rather than gelatinised — it has not been cooked to swell and gel the starch granules. Raw starch suspension spreads slightly differently from cooked gel but is treated identically with amylase enzyme. (2) Polyphenol oxidase — this enzyme in raw potato juice catalyses the browning of chlorogenic acid (a polyphenol) to form brown-coloured quinone compounds. If raw potato juice is allowed to sit on carpet for more than a few minutes before blotting, the enzymatic browning creates a brown stain from the polymerised quinones. This brown stain is Maillard-like in appearance and responds to one peroxide round. To prevent enzymatic browning, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the water rinse in Step 2 — the citric acid inhibits the polyphenol oxidase. (3) The yellow skin of papas criollas may leave a slight carotenoid colour from the skin fragments — addressed by one peroxide round. Act quickly: enzymatic browning from raw potato juice begins within 3–5 minutes of air exposure.
The ajiaco was a modern restaurant version that included arepas de choclo (fresh corn arepas — sweet, soft Colombian corn cakes made from ground fresh corn, cheese, and butter) served alongside the soup bowl. Several arepas de choclo fell on the carpet alongside the soup. Does the corn arepa add significantly to the stain?
Arepas de choclo (fresh corn arepas) are made from ground fresh corn (not the dry masa used for regular arepas), mixed with shredded costeño or mozzarella cheese and butter, then cooked on a griddle. The stain components added by the arepas: (1) Fresh corn starch — the ground fresh corn is high in starch; amylase enzyme addresses this directly. (2) Melted cheese — costeño or mozzarella cheese at approximately 18–22% fat; one extra cornflour round for the cheese fat on the arepa contact zone. (3) Butter used in the arepa and on the griddle — additional fat load addressed by the same cornflour round as the cheese fat. (4) Fresh corn yellow colour — corn carotenoids (zeaxanthin and lutein from the corn kernels) give arepas de choclo a mild golden-yellow colour. One peroxide round addresses this alongside the ajiaco colour treatment. (5) Griddle Maillard crust — the griddled exterior of the arepa has some Maillard browning that may leave a faint tan mark on contact. Also addressed by one peroxide round. The overall treatment for ajiaco-plus-arepa: add one cornflour round for the arepa zone and extend the enzyme step; the peroxide and baking soda steps are unchanged.