Last Updated: December 24, 2021
Traditional Food In Paraguay
Paraguay is nestled in central South America right between Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. It’s quite an amazing country with stunning landscapes but is certainly not quite as famous as its neighbors and gets left off the travel map quite often.
Due to this, I’m guessing you don’t know much about traditional Paraguayan cuisine. It’s a solid blend of European and Latin flavors that features delicious meat dishes, loads of yummy cakes, and lots lots more. It’s not that dissimilar to Argentinian food but the traditional dish in Paraguay definitely has its own spin on things.
Here are some of the best traditional dishes to try in Paraguay or at a local Paraguayan restaurant.
Table Of Contents
Show All
Chipa Guasu
Chipa Guasu is one of the most popular traditional foods in Paraguay. You’ll find it served everywhere either as an appetizer or a side dish with your main course, particularly if it’s a meat dish.
Chipa Guasa is pretty much a Paraguayan savory corn cake and couldn’t be easier to make. Just mix up a bit of fresh corn, some eggs, milk, sunflower oil, onions, Paraguayan cheese, and a touch of salt, and then throw it into the oven to create a filling and delicious corn cake.
The onions and cheese really come together in the chip guasa and make it what it is. Also, when have onions and cheese flavors never gone with a hearty meat dish or a stew? They haven’t! You can eat chip guasa hot or cold, although you’ll get more onion and cheese flavors while they’re hot.
Sopa Paraguaya
Sopa Paraguaya directly translated means Paraguayan Soup and is one of the most traditional foods in Paraguay, but it isn’t actually soup at all.
It is actually a kind of savory cake that is made from mixing milk, onions, cheese, eggs, and cornmeal. It’s said it was discovered by mistake when chefs making a meal for the president at the time, Don Carlos Antonio Lopez, adding too much cornflour and it went solid.
The president’s love of milk-based creamy soups is what creates the mistake to happen but he actually ended up loving the solid cake version, hence the name Sopa Paraguaya.
This all happened way back between 1841 and 1862. Since then, this Paraguayan soup only grew in popularity throughout the country of Paraguay and is a major celebration food that features at family gatherings, asados, and other national days.
Pastel Mandi’o
Pastel Mandi’o is Paraguay’s own version of an empanada and is a very popular Paraguayan cuisine. Also known as the Yuca Empanada, the main difference between a Pastel Mandi’o and a normal empanada is that the dough is made with cassava and cornflour instead of using normal flour. This gives it an added depth of flavor along with the beef filling.
You’ll find a Pastel Mandi’o at pretty much every street vendor in Paraguay and they feature at all the national fiestas. You’re not likely to find these Pastel Mandi’o empanadas made anywhere else than from street vendors as they are very complex to make compared to normal ones.
You have to wash, peel, chop, boil, and puree the cassava root before you can even start thinking about making the dough. This added hour or so the process means home cooks don’t bother, so make sure you get to try a Pastel Mandi’o empanada as a snack while you’re exploring Paraguay.
Butifarra
If you’re a fan of meat and particularly pork then you’ll love trying some Butifarra. Butifarra is a white sausage and originates from Spain, specifically the region of Catalonia but quickly became a Paraguayan food too.
This dish consists of a mixture of lemon, garlic, bacon, and pork which all come together to create a delicious white sausage full of flavor. The sausage is tender, melts in your mouth and when those lemon and garlic hues hit your taste buds, you won’t regret you tried some Butifarra.
You can find Butifarra at most restaurants in Paraguay along with a lot of the street vendors selling many dishes. It’s usually served with some cassava on the side. Paraguayans love to eat Butifarra at parties on the weekends, and it’s always part of the feasts at festivals or occasions.
Batiburrillo
Batiburrillo, beef offal stew, is a Paraguayan food that stems from the region of Misiones. The Batiburrillo dish made its way from the Basque country of northern Spain to Paraguay when Sebastián Sasiain Zubillaga moved to Misiones way back in 1926.
The stew slowly became the typical dish of Misiones, so much so, that a festival is held in our of Batiburrillo. A huge food festival takes to the streets in the municipality of San Juan Bautista and it’s quite an event to attend.
The recipe was actually created by Sebastián Sasiain, so you might say it was born in the Basque country of Spain and then grew up in Misiones in Paraguay.
The stew is made by combining a lot of different bits of beef including heart, liver, and tongue. This is mixed and stewed with garlic, onions, mustard, kidney beans, chopped red locote, and some chopped tomatoes. The stew is slowly simmered until all the flavors fuse together and the meat tenderizes and is served with cassava on the side.
The dish is traditionally served with a delicious drink called Siriki, which means to sip in the local Guaraní language. It’s a kind of Paraguayan lemonade that is made from lemon, ice, soda, and white sugar cane. When siriki is drunk alongside Batiburrillo they bring each other to life.
Chicharô Trenzado
Chicharô Trenzado is a delicious traditional Paraguayan dish. Known as Chicharrón in Spanish and directly translated means braided meat. It’s made from strips of meat braided together, either pork or beef.
The meat is traditionally marinated with a lot of salt and bitter orange juice to break down the meat and then braided before being cooked perfectly in a port until the fat reduces and the flavors all come together.
Sometimes you can also find Chicharo Trenzado made from up to five different tips of meat which is a huge Irish of variety and flavor. It’s then served with a side of cassava like most meals on Paraguay.
You’ll find Chicharo Trenzado at most restaurants and it’s served at most festivals and celebrations too.
Mbejú
One last food worth mentioning is the traditional Paraguayan food Mbejú. It actually means ‘cake’ in Guaraní and that is not surprising as it is a starchy cake-like patty made with mandioca flour, crumbled cheese, pork fat, eggs and milk. It is fried in hot oil to give it a final crispy coating.
It’s become one of the most popular foods during the 1800s Triple Alliance war when people had to make do with what they had. And now, it is considered a Paraguayan staple.
About the Author Anna Timbrook
Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.
