What virtual package is "minimal system"?

[hendrik@topoi.pooq.com]

I managed to install etch on my AMD-64 system, except that in the 
package selection I could not even ask for it to nstall "minimal system" 
because of dependency conflicts.  Neither could I do manual package 
selection -- it just never did that part of the installation even though 
I had reqiested it.

But aptitude will run on my newly installed system.

So my question now is, what virtual package to I ask for in aptitude to 
get the equivalent of "minimal system" during installation?

-- hendrik