What defines Paraguayan cooking
Paraguayan cuisine blends Guaraní traditions with Spanish influence and relies heavily on corn, cassava (called mandioca), beef and cheese. Many of the best-known dishes are made from corn flour or cassava starch combined with fresh cheese, so the food tends to be filling, savory and often baked or fried. Some dish names come from Guaraní, such as vori vori and chipa.
Sopa paraguaya
Despite the name, sopa paraguaya is not a soup. It is a dense, moist, savory cornbread made with corn flour, fresh cheese, milk, eggs and onions, and it is widely considered Paraguay’s national dish. It is served as a side with meat or soup, or eaten on its own as a snack. One popular story says the dish was created by accident when a cook added too much corn flour to a soup and baked it, but origin stories like this are hard to verify.
Chipa and chipa guasú
Chipa is a baked cheese bread made with cassava starch, and it is sold everywhere, especially around Easter (for other Easter food customs, see blessing of Easter food) and at bus stops and markets. Chipa guasú is a different dish, a savory corn cake made from fresh corn kernels, eggs, milk and cheese. It is commonly served alongside grilled meat at gatherings.
Vori vori
Vori vori is a thick chicken (sometimes beef) soup with small dumplings made from cornmeal and cheese. The dumplings are what give the soup its character: they are rolled by hand and cooked in the broth, which is often flavored with onion, peppers and spices. It is a classic comfort dish for cool weather and family meals.
Bife koygua
Bife koygua is a beef stew cooked with onion, tomato and peppers and topped with a fried or poached egg. It is sometimes described as a home-style dish, served with rice or cassava. Recipes differ from family to family.
Pira caldo and river fish
Paraguay is landlocked, so fish comes from rivers. Pira caldo is a fish soup made with vegetables, and fish are also fried or grilled. For a fried version, you may see the surubí, a large river fish, mentioned on restaurant menus.
Asado and grilled meats
Beef holds a central place in Paraguayan meals, and the asado, or barbecue, is a common weekend and celebration tradition. It is usually served with cassava, salad and often chipa guasú or sopa paraguaya on the side. For a neighboring approach to grilling, see our guide to Uruguay’s popular food.
Rora, mbejú and other corn and cassava dishes
- Rora: a cornmeal porridge with egg, cheese and vegetables.
- Mbejú: a flat cake of cassava starch and cheese, cooked on a griddle.
- Mazamorra and locro: corn-based dishes found in some regions.
Many of these are simple meals made from pantry staples, which is part of why they remain popular.
A typical Paraguayan breakfast
Breakfast is usually light. Many people have mate cocido (a hot, sweetened mate tea) or coffee with bread, chipa, mbejú or a similar baked item. Details vary by household, so treat this as a general picture rather than a rule.
Tereré and mate
Tereré is cold mate, an herbal infusion of yerba mate sipped through a metal straw, often with ice water or herbs added. It is deeply associated with Paraguayan social life and is commonly shared in a group during the heat of the day. Hot mate is also common, especially in cooler weather.
Frequently asked questions
What are five traditional Paraguayan foods?
Common examples are sopa paraguaya, chipa guasú, vori vori, bife koygua and pira caldo.
What is a typical Paraguayan breakfast?
Often mate cocido or coffee with chipa, mbejú or bread. It tends to be modest.
What is Paraguay most famous for?
In food terms, sopa paraguaya, chipa and tereré are among its best-known items.
Related reading
If you enjoy Paraguay’s corn-and-cheese cooking, you may also like the popular foods of Bolivia, where cheese breads and corn cakes also appear.