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December in Toronto. The days are outrageously short. Only the most tenacious of leaves cling to frail, bitter branches as an implacable greyness descends upon the city. As temperatures dip below zero, lingering memories of flamboyant autumn disappear overnight like yard waste, leaving behind nothing but barren brown grass and the violent hardness of concrete and asphalt.

Terrible winds from the lake begin to swirl as the gods resume their malicious experiments, the byproducts of which drench the city in an unholy mixture of rain, sleet and mud. Residents dig into their closets in search of winter clothes. A few hours of sunshine feels like a fantasy; the thought of a clean, white snowstorm starts to feel, suddenly, like a reprieve.听

How to survive this slog? How to find joy in these desperate pre-holiday weeks?

Soup? Yes, soup.听

Few things can warm you up and brighten your mood quite like a hearty, nourishing soup on a frigid day.听

Typically, when soup season commences, I find comfort in homemade classics. I am no cook, but I can whip up a cosy shourabit djaj, a simple Lebanese soup with chicken, rice, chickpeas and a pinch of cinnamon. My partner, who is an excellent cook, typically marks soup season with a big ole pot of sinigang, a delicious Filipino stew that strikes a perfect balance of sour and savoury through an alchemy of pork, tamarind and fish sauce.听

Or, if the day feels particularly bleak, we might venture out into the city to grab a steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho at Pho Linh for lunch, or a scalding-hot sundubu-jjigae at Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu in Koreatown.听

But this soup season, I was introduced to a new style of soup: a hearty, spicy ultra-satisfying dish that I am ashamed to admit I had never tried or even heard of before: Colombian ajiaco.

Traditionally, ajiaco is made with three different varieties of potatoes, shredded chicken, corn on the cob and 鈥� the dish鈥檚 star ingredient 鈥� guasca, a unique herb with a smoky, slightly bitter taste. The soup is typically accompanied by a dollop of sour cream and a handful of briny capers.听

Perfectly salty, flavourful and oh-so-filling, the dish is most popular in Bogot谩, Colombia鈥檚 high-altitude capital city, and its surrounding area, where temperatures often dip into single digits, even in summer months. Though its origins are contested, ajiaco draws on both traditional styles of cooking in the region 鈥� potatoes are an essential staple among the Indigenous population of Colombia, where there are some 800 varieties of the tuber 鈥� and the influence of the country鈥檚 Spanish colonizers (the addition of cream and capers).听

It鈥檚 a miraculous dish, certain to brighten a gloomy day, and it鈥檚 available in 海角社区官网at an excellent price at Colombian Street Food.听

Located in the Junction Triangle on a charming, quietly gentrifying strip of Dupont Street, this tiny lunch and coffee spot is best known for its wide variety of crispy, corn dough empanadas and ridiculously cheesy

But it was the restaurant’s ajiaco, served in a traditional style, and prepared with papas criollas (soft, buttery, small yellow potatoes) and guasca imported from Colombia, that really dazzled my palette.听

(For the more adventurous, I recommend adding a couple of drops of the shop鈥檚 extra spicy hot sauce, prepared in the Mexican style by Diana Palma, one of the chefs at Colombian Street Food).听

The heaping portion of soup costs $13.99 and pairs perfectly with a few empanadas ($3.75 for one, $10.99 for three) or a sweet corn arepa ($6.50). On my visit, I ordered soup, three empanadas and an arepa. My total came to about $27 before tip, and was enough food to easily fill two hungry patrons.听

I told Adriana Gonzalez, who opened Colombian Street Food in January 2022, that I loved the soup. 鈥淭hose are the happiest words that I can hear, knowing my customers are satisfied,鈥� she told me.

Gonzalez was born in Manizales, a mountainous, mid-sized city that lies within the Colombia coffee growing axis, tucked at the foot of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Back home, cooking was just a hobby for her, but she started working in various Colombian restaurants when she moved to 海角社区官网seven years ago.听

The idea behind Colombian Street Food, Gonzalez said, was to diversify and expand upon her country鈥檚 food, which is traditionally very specific 鈥� 鈥渆verything is made with corn or corn flour鈥� she pointed out.听

To that end, her menu features 10 different types of gluten-free empanadas, including classics like beef and potatoes, and more adventurous flavours like Hawaiian or guava and cheese.听

鈥淲e have dishes for vegans, for vegetarians, for meat lovers or cheese lovers,鈥� Gonzalez said. 鈥淚 wanted to expand everything so that everyone could taste it.

As for the ajiaco, Gonzalez says her aim is to provide an authentic taste of Colombia, with some alterations to keep the dish affordable for her customers (back home, ajiaco is often served with rice and avocado).听

鈥淚t is very warm, very homey, very filling,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat’s what we’re trying to transmit to our customers. The warmth of our food and of our culture.鈥�

Five cosy spots to grab a soul-warming soup in Toronto

1565 Dupont St.

Warm up with a bowl of ajiaco (Colombian chicken soup) for $13,99, or try the beef ribs soup for $14.99.

691 Bloor St. W.

If you鈥檙e extra hungry, head to this Koreatown staple for their sundubu-jjigae. Served boiling hot, this spicy stew is served with kimchi, extra soft tofu, various meats and/or vegetables, and a stone pot of Korean purple rice ($15.95).听

494 Front St. E.

There are few things as satisfying as a bowl of shorbet adas (Lebanese lentil soup) with a bit of fresh bread, which you can grab at Souk Tabule in the Canary District. A bowl costs $8, which you can pair with a saj pita for $2.25 or a pita saj za鈥檃tar for $6.25.听

1156 College St.

I鈥檓 not going to wade into the never-ending war over the best pho in 海角社区官网鈥� everyone has their local favourite, after all. But I can promise you will be satisfied if you drop by Pho Linh, a bustling, affordable shop in the west end. A bowl of pho here costs between $12 and $16.

354 Broadview Ave.

If you want to treat yourself, head to East Chinatown for a fancy bowl of soup at Oji Seichi, a lovely, if slightly pricier ramen and gyoza shop. The classic shio or shoyu ramen here costs $20, but it will not disappoint.听