Cuisine of Paraguay

The cuisine of Paraguay is similar to the cuisines in Uruguay and the Falkland Islands. Meats, vegetables, manioc, maize and fruits are common in Paraguayan cuisine. Barbecuing is both a cooking technique and often a social event, and are known as Asados.

Many dishes are based on corn, milk, cheese and meats, and fish caught in rivers are also eaten. There are about 70 varieties of chipas (cakes) in Paraguay. Most chipas are made from manioc flour, which is derived from cassava, and cornmeal.

Common Foods and Dishes

  • Beef
  • Bori-bori is a chicken soup served with cornmeal dumplings
  • Chipa is a bread made with manioc, egg and cheese
  • Chipa Guasú is a cake made with corn grains, and is an original and common food of Paraguay — it’s often served at asados
  • Chipa so’o is another cake variety
  • Cured meats, smoked ham
  • Groundnuts
  • A traditional kiveve is made using pumpkin or “andai”, water, salt, oil, onion (chopped very small), milk, sugar, corn flour and fresh cheese
  • Lampreado, a fried cake made from manioc flour
  • Mazamorroa is a cooked corn mush dish
  • Mbaipy-so-ó is a corn pudding with meat
  • Mbejú is a starch cake and staple food of the Paraguayan diet
  • Milanesa, a breaded meat filet, fried, baked or sauteed
  • Paraguay cheese
  • Parrillada is a dish meat cooked over coals
  • Pira caldo is a fish soup that is part of the traditional cuisine
  • Pork
  • Sopa paraguaya is a traditional Paraguayan dish that literally meaning “Paraguayan soup” and is similar to corn bread with corn flour, pig fat (lard), cheese and milk or whey being the common ingredients — it’s a spongy cake rich in calories and protein content
  • Soyo is a thick soup of meat crushed in a mortar, seasoned with several spices and vegetables

Desserts

  • Kosereva is a common “barreled” candy native to Paraguay, with the hardened skin of the sour orange (“apepú”, in Guarani language), cooked in black molasses, resulting in a bittersweet and acid taste and having a high protein content
  • Mbaipy-he-é is a dessert dish made with milk, molasses and corn

Beverages

  • Maté is a national drink of Paraguay
  • Fruit juices and soft drinks are common, and beer and wine are also available
  • Caña is an alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane juice, and mosto is a non-alcholic variety