What to use instead of guascas
Quick answer
The closest option is Parsley, rated poor. Parsley adds a green herbal note to ajiaco and nothing of the grassy, artichoke-like flavour that defines it. The soup is good; it is not ajiaco.
It will not do for: Ajiaco santafereño as the dish.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Parsley
PoorParsley adds a green herbal note to ajiaco and nothing of the grassy, artichoke-like flavour that defines it. The soup is good; it is not ajiaco.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| different | different | close | n/a |
Works for
- A green note in potato and chicken soup
Does not work for
- Ajiaco santafereño as the dish
Why there is no second option: Recorded as the only option because there is no real substitute. Dried guascas, sold in packets in Latin American grocers, keeps its character well and should always be preferred; parsley is listed so that a cook who has none knows what they will and will not get. Editorial judgement.