What to eat Paraguay? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Paraguayan cuisine bears the marks of several influences. Those first of all of the Guarani Indians, who have inhabited the country for thousands of years, but also of the Spanish settlers who arrived there from the ^sixteenth century, especially the Jesuit missionaries who settled permanently in the region. In addition, there are other influences from European immigration, such as Italian, German and Portuguese cuisine, which can be found in Argentina and Brazil respectively.
As in most Latin American countries, starchy foods are an important part of the diet. Mandioca (manioc) is widely consumed in Paraguay. Once the white flesh is removed from its brown husk, it is transformed into flour, starch or typyraty (residue from the preparation of starch), three distinct products that serve as the basis for many Paraguayan specialties. But cassava is most often cooked in water and eaten as is, with meat, with a little salt. It can also be fried and eaten as an appetizer with a garlic sauce. Corn, whether cooked or boiled, in flour or kernels, is used in many recipes. Paraguayans also prepare many dishes with batata (sweet potato) and poroto (bean).

Paraguayan meat is renowned and is even exported a lot. The animals are raised in vast natural pastures, the meat is low in fat and delicious. It is eaten at almost every meal. In Paraguay, when we speak of carne (literally "meat"), it necessarily means beef(carne vacuna). But of course, there are also pigs(chancho), poultry and sheep, which are just as tasty. In the countryside it is common to eat freshly hunted game (partridge, duck, pheasant, rabbit or deer), prepared a la olla (stewed). For those who prefer fish, the surubí, a giant of the rivers, can be found in almost every restaurant.
Meat and fish are accompanied by potatoes, pasta - ñoquis (gnocchi) and tagliatelle are very popular - rice, chipa guazú (corn casserole) and almost always boiled cassava. The bread here is more like a slightly dry bun. If you are frustrated in this area, look for a German bakery, where good breads are usually available. Kesú paraguái(queso paraguayo) is a Paraguayan cheese made from cow's milk. It is used in many preparations. Its taste is not strong and slightly acid. It is often eaten with honey.

As far as eating habits are concerned, Paraguayans get up early and have a quick breakfast. Breakfast(desayuno) usually consists of coffee with milk, cocido or mate, and some toast with guava jam or honey. In the middle of the morning, a snack is always eaten before having the tereré. Lunch(almuerzo) is taken between noon and 2pm. We eat an economical comida, such as milanesa (breaded cutlet) with rice, fideos (spaghetti) with chicken, or lomito (steak). Cafeterias often offer buffets where you pay by the weight of the plate (comida a kilo). Meat, salads and vegetables are available. Sweets are paid for separately. After lunch, when you can, you can take a nap (especially in the countryside). When you wake up, a tereré is a must! The snack is often a cake or a chipa with a drink (coffee or cocido). Dinner(cena) is rarely eaten before 9-10 pm, and is a fairly light meal, sometimes just a picada (cold cuts, cheese, fried manioc, etc.) with a beer.

As in the rest of Latin America, Paraguay has many snacks, often fried and hearty. The most famous are without a doubt the empanadas. These turnovers filled with meat, fish, cheese or vegetables are found all over South America. The pastel de mandi'ó is a local variation made with mashed cassava, fat, egg and corn flour. Theempanada is prepared in the oven or fried in oil. It is often served with pancitos (bread rolls). The payaguá mascado or lampreado is a specialty that consists of fried manioc croquettes with garlic and onions. Finally, the mbeyú is a cake made of cassava starch, corn flour, egg, cooked with pork fat and Paraguayan cheese. A very hearty dish!
There are also many soups, cheap and nutritious dishes, ideal for workers in this very agricultural country. The most famous is borí-borí (or vorí vorí), a thick vegetable broth (sometimes with chicken), to which are added dumplings made of corn and cheese. The pira caldo is a fish soup, while the soyo is a thick soup made of minced meat in a mortar, seasoned with various spices and vegetables. Finally, the caldo de albóndigas ouso'o apu' a is a broth with meatballs and vegetables.
Of course, meat has an essential place in Paraguayan cuisine. The term asado (grilled in French) refers to meat braised for several hours, on a grill over the coals(a la parrilla) or on a wooden stake(a la estaca). Unlike in Europe and North America where the tendency is for meat to be rare, in South America it is preferred to be well cooked, which requires a delicate and careful cooking, but which nevertheless allows for a deliciously tender and juicy meat. Everyone serves themselves and eats their meat with a piece of manioc or salad. The asaditos are small skewers. Everything is eaten in beef, but veal(ternero) is not eaten much in Paraguay. Chorizo (a sausage that has nothing to do with Spanish chorizo and is usually made of a spicy mixture of pork and beef) and morcilla (blood sausage made of pork blood, onions and condiments) are used as appetizers while waiting for the feast.
Italian influences, which arrived from Argentina, are strong in Paraguay and the milanesa (Milanese cutlet) is very popular. Here, however, the term is vague and refers to any type of cutlet (beef, chicken or fish) that is breaded, baked or fried in oil. It is not a typical Paraguayan dish, but it is served everywhere. The milanesa de pan is a sandwich filled with a milanesa. Also very popular, the locro is a stew made of white corn(locro), vegetables and meat. More rare, theakangue yvyguy can be off-putting at first. It is a beef head marinated with herbs, spices, lemon, garlic and onions, covered with banana leaves and cooked in a traditional oven dug into the earth, filled with embers, where the meat cooks slowly.
Common throughout the country, the lomito is a very popular hearty sandwich prepared in carritos (small trucks equipped with planchas) that are devoured especially in the evening. Beef, cooked ham, egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayonnaise, the filling is more than substantial. The lomito árabe is the equivalent of the oriental chawarma. Surrounded by large rivers, Paraguay does not shy away from fish. Surubí, pacú and tilapia are the most common freshwater fish in restaurants. They are eaten a la plancha or in caldo (soup).
There are also several vegetable or starch-based specialties served as side dishes, such as sopa paraguaya , which is not at all like a soup. This very popular dish is in fact a small polenta pie made from corn flour, with cheese and sometimes onions. It is served on birthdays, weddings or at the end of the year. Its invention dates back to the time of Carlos Antonio López. The president's cook forgot to take this thick soup called borí borí out of the oven. She decided to make a paste of it and add milk and eggs before putting it back in the oven. When the president tasted the final result, he was ecstatic and asked the name of the dish. The cook would have answered "sopa" and the name stuck. Another similar dish, chipa guasú (or chipa guazú) is a hearty recipe made with soft corn(choclo), eggs and cheese. It is often served with theasado. In 2017, the National Secretariat of Culture of Paraguay declared the production and traditional manufacture of sopa paraguaya, but also three other typical Paraguayan dishes: vori-vori, locro and jopara, as "National Intangible Cultural Heritage".
Be careful, the chipa guazú (in Guarani the "big chipa") should not be confused with the simple chipa (or chipá), emblematic food of Paraguay, sold everywhere, and especially in the street by the chiperos or chiperas. The latter carry them in the traditional way, in large baskets placed on their heads, and walk around shouting chipa chipa, chipita! It is in fact a small bread elaborated with manioc flour, milk, eggs and cheese(queso paraguayo). Sometimes anise seeds are added. It is similar to the Brazilian version, pão de queijo. The chipa can be stuffed with meat, which is called chipa so'ó. Like the tereré, the chipa has its own national day(el Día Nacional de la chipa), celebrated on the second Friday of August. This bread also has an important place in the religion of Paraguay. As a symbol of brotherhood, it is prepared at home and offered to relatives during religious holidays, especially during Holy Week.
Finally, on October¹, it is customary to eat jopará ("mixture" in Guarani), a kind of stew prepared with beans and corn. The month of October is a difficult time for the farmer. There are few food reserves left from the past harvest and the new harvest has not yet begun. It is at this time that Karaí Octubre, a ragged peasant wearing a pirí sombrero, may appear and enter the houses to check if the families are well prepared to face the difficult days. Those who are not will be punished, with a bad harvest or any other curse... To impress Karaí Octubre, a big meal is prepared. When the peasant does not have enough to show some abundance, he prepares a mixture of beans(porotos) and corn(locro) in a big pot, adding what he can. This rural tradition has moved to the city. On October¹, all Paraguayans prepare jopará, even those who could afford a real feast!
Also surprising, between dessert and side dish, kiveve ("red" in Guarani) is a creamy purée made ofandaí (calabash), onion, milk, sugar, corn flour and fresh cheese.

Desserts in Paraguay are generally similar to what can be found in Europe or North America with some regional specificities. With its subtropical climate, the country boasts a delicious fruit production. They are not eaten as desserts at the end of the meal, but rather as snacks during the day. Pineapple(piña), papaya(mamón), peach(durazno), grape(uva), melon (melón), watermelon(sandía), plum(ciruela), mango(mango), passion fruit(mburucuyá), orange(naranja), grapefruit(pomelo), banana(banana), strawberry(frutilla), and apple(manzana) are among the most common fruits. They are used to make delicious natural juices, cakes filled with jam, or luscious mousses.
In Paraguay there are many classicpastries from Europe. However, some sweets have an older origin, such as kaguyjy eírare or mazamorra, a pre-Columbian preparation made with freshly ground corn, water and honey.Arró kamby is the equivalent of rice pudding. Mbaipy-he-é is a dessert dish made with milk, molasses and corn. In South America, it is not uncommon to mix sweet cheese with fruits, especially guava. This mixture, called guayaba con queso, can be found in various recipes for pastries, flan or cake, or even as is in the form of guava paste called dulce de guayaba. Otherwise, papaya is also appreciated and candied in large pieces that are served with cheese, under the name of dulce de mamón. Sugar cane molasses called "miel negra" is used in some desserts such as torta de miel negra or boquerón, an almost black cake that is also flavored with orange peel. The modest but delicious budín de pan is a bread pudding flavored with vanilla. Finally, bollos are simple sugar doughnuts filled with vanilla cream, a specialty of Areguá and San Bernardino.
Emblematic of South American cuisine, dulce de leche literally translates as "milk sweetness". It is prepared by caramelizing sweetened condensed milk over very low heat for several hours, resulting in an incredibly creamy milk caramel. It is used as a topping for cakes or pastries, or simply spread on bread for breakfast. Ka'í ladrillo or dulce de mani is a caramel and peanut-based confection, cut into small cubes. Kosereva is a sweet made with the peel of the bitter orange ("apepú", in Guaraní language), cooked in black molasses.
But in Paraguay not only cane sugar is produced. Another sweetener coming from this country has become in a few years a phenomenon, although it has been used for centuries by the Guaraníes. Stevia or ka'a he'ê (literally "sweet grass") contains no calories and has a sweetening power 200 to 400 times higher than ordinary sugar. It is also said to have curative qualities against diabetes and hypertension. Long banned in France, its use was finally authorized in 2009 and is gradually beginning to replace artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, which have been widely criticized for years. The shrub grows in large quantities in Paraguay and its powdered leaves are sold in all grocery stores, usually in liquid form, in small bottles.

Paraguayans do not drink much coffee or tea, they prefer mate, tereré and cocido, three drinks made from the leaves of a shrub called mate(Ylex paraguayensis), from the holly family. Yerba mate is not a herb, as its name might suggest, and the leaves of the tree, roasted and pulverized, are used for these three typical drinks. For mate and tereré, all the details are given in the specific file (Tereré, the national drink). As for the cocido, it is an infusion obtained by caramelizing yerba mate with sugar, with a burning coal, or in a pot over the fire. Water is added and stirred when the sugar begins to caramelize. The cocido is drunk plain or with milk. Honey or lemon can be added.
Other drinks include mosto, the juice of sugar cane extracted with a traditional mill(trapiche). By boiling and decanting the mosto, we obtain what is locally called "miel de caña", which has nothing to do with honey as we know it. From the fermentation and distillation of the honey of caña is obtained an alcohol called caña(taguató resay). The term aloja is used to describe any refreshing drink to which caña honey has been added. On August^1st, it is customary to drink a mixture of caña, lemon and an herb called ruda. This ancestral drink is supposed to purify the blood and bring good luck!
Paraguayans are big consumers of beer. Traditionally blond and light, they are served in large bottles placed in champañeras, to keep them ho'ysã porã (very fresh), or even iced. Microbreweries have invaded the capital, and offer craft beers with much more interesting flavors than industrial beers. More and more specialized pubs serve them on draught. As for wine production, it is low (concentrated on the side of Independancia, in the department of Guaira) and the quality is not comparable to that of Argentine and Chilean wines that can be easily found in supermarkets. Paraguayans prefer beer, but in winter, when it is cool, they enjoy opening a bottle of wine. In summer, they often add ice cubes to their glass! The good compromise is the clérico. It is a wine-based drink in which cut fruits are macerated. Similar to sangria, it is drunk chilled during festive events. Finally, the Fernet-Branca, an Italian bitter made with herbs (gentian, chamomile, aloe, etc.) that is imported from Argentina, is very popular.