A Bowl of the Andes: Pisca Andina

GUAMBEQUE’S JOURNAL · ISSUE 01 · 27 SEPTEMBER 2026

A warm morning, a handful of simple ingredients, and a tradition that travels from one family table to another.

Across the Venezuelan Andes of Táchira, Mérida, and Trujillo, pisca andina is known as a comforting breakfast soup. Potatoes, broth, egg, and fresh cilantro are common elements; some home recipes finish the bowl with milk or cheese. The details change from kitchen to kitchen, and that is part of the dish’s character.

Food that leaves room for memory

There is no single bowl that represents every Andean family. One cook may make the broth lighter, another richer; one may add cheese, while another keeps the ingredients spare. What endures is the welcome: a hot bowl offered at the beginning of the day.

From Táchira to Boston

San Cristóbal, Táchira, is where Guambeque’s founder Cesar Castillo Garnica was born. That Andean connection is one of the roots of the table he is building in Boston. This is a story about a Venezuelan food tradition; it does not mean pisca is currently available for sale.

Every eight days, the Guambeque’s Journal will return with another story about Venezuelan food, a place, a celebration, or the people who bring a community together.

Continue exploring Venezuela →   See the menu in progress →