country Essentials · 10 foods
Paraguay Essentials
A considered first route through Paraguay: the foods that carry its everyday habits, celebrations, ingredients, and memory.
Explore all Paraguay foods →THE
ESSENTIALS
The complete shortlist
10 foods to know.
Each selection includes the reason it belongs here—so this is a guide, not just a pile of names.
Paraguay
Sopa Paraguaya
Moist cheese-and-onion cornbread is Paraguay's signature side for asado and Holy Week tables.
Paraguay
Chipa
Chipá
Cheese bread made from cassava flour, the most common street snack of Paraguay.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Asado
Wood-fired beef and pork cuts are served family-style from Paraguay's parrilla, usually with mandioca.
Mato Grosso do Sul, Argentina
Tereré
Ice-cold yerba infusion refilled from a thermos and passed around the circle — the ritual that structures every Paraguayan day.
Paraguay
Mbeju
Mbejú
Crisp-edged cassava-starch flatbread rich with cheese, a Guaraní inheritance older than any written recipe.
Paraguay
Vori Vori
Vorí Vorí
Chicken broth carries cheese-and-cornmeal dumplings, a Guaraní-rooted winter soup served hot at family meals.
Paraguay
Caldo de Surubí
River surubí, vegetables, and herbs make a substantial fish soup served in Paraguay's river regions.
Paraguay
Locro
White hominy corn and meat simmered for hours into a thick, spoon-standing stew for cold weekends.
Paraguay
Cassava Empanada
Pastel Mandi'ó
Fried cassava dough pocket filled with seasoned meat, a Paraguayan market snack.
Paraguay
Papaya in Syrup
Dulce de Mamón
Green papaya preserve cooked with sugar and spices into a Guaraní-country sweet.