Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.
-
Try sopa paraguaya
The world's only solid soup: a moist, rich baked square made from cornmeal, local fresh cheese, eggs, milk, lard, and slow-cooked onions. It is served warm or room temperature as an essential side dish for barbecues.
Look for a deeply browned crust with a soft, cheesy center; dry or crumbly texture means it was baked hours ago and reheated.
-
Try chipa almidón
Gluten-free ring breads baked from cassava starch, corn flour, lard, local cheese, and anise seeds. They feature a crisp outer shell and a pleasantly chewy, savoury crumb.
Street vendors (*chiperas*) sell them warm from baskets wrapped in woven cloths at bus stops, traffic lights, and ferry crossings.
-
Try chipa guasú
A moist, creamy sweetcorn soufflé-cake prepared with fresh corn kernels, onions sauteed in lard, eggs, milk, and plenty of Paraguayan farm cheese. It bridges the line between savoury pudding and casserole.
Always order it straight from the baking tray at traditional diners; it pairs exceptionally well with grilled flank steak.
-
Order vorí vorí
A comforting, golden-yellow chicken soup filled with small, tender dumplings made of cornmeal and grated cheese. The dumplings slowly release starch into the broth, creating a velvety, deeply savoury texture.
This dish is traditionally eaten for lunch on chilly winter days or during heavy rainstorms, accompanied by lime wedges.
-
Try mbejú
A pan-fried griddle cake made from moist cassava starch, crumbled farmer's cheese, pork fat, and salt. Cooked quickly over high heat, it develops crispy charred edges while keeping a chewy, molten cheese core.
Never eat it cold; order it made-to-order at street stalls or traditional afternoon tearooms, accompanied by hot mate cocido.
-
Experience Paraguayan asado
The defining communal feast: huge cuts of local beef ribs, flank steak, and artisanal pork sausages slow-grilled over hardwood charcoal. It is always served with bottomless bowls of tender boiled cassava rather than bread.
Sunday lunch at a suburban parrillada is the prime venue; order *sopa paraguaya* as your hot side dish alongside the meat.
-
Try pastel mandi'o
Crescent-shaped fried pastries whose dough is crafted from mashed boiled cassava, cornmeal, and lard instead of wheat. The filling consists of seasoned minced beef, hard-boiled eggs, scallions, and cumin.
Look for stalls with bubbling oil kettles; the best pastel mandi'o has blistering bubbles on the outside and piping-hot filling.
-
Try pajagua mascada
Deep-fried croquettes made from a paste of boiled cassava and shredded beef seasoned with garlic, cumin, and scallions. They fry up into crunchy patties with an earthy, savoury filling.
Widely available at bus stations and morning markets; dip it in local hot pepper sauce (*ají criollo*) if available.
-
Order pira caldo
A rich river-fish chowder prepared with local catches like surubí (spotted catfish) or pacú, simmered with sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, and finished with fresh milk and chunks of melting cheese.
Catfish-based versions made with surubí yield the firmest, boneless steaks; squeeze fresh key lime over the bowl before eating.
-
Try soyo (so'o yosopy)
A traditional nourishing soup made from ground lean beef pulverized with cold water and stirred into a simmering vegetable and rice broth until thick and velvety. The Guaraní name translates directly to 'meat juice'.
Order this at market lunch counters early in the day; it is traditionally eaten accompanied by warm mbejú.
-
Taste chicharõ trenzado
Strips of beef flank or pork belly braided into tight plaits, boiled in salted water with sour orange juice, and then fried crisp in their own rendered fat.
The sour orange marinade keeps the rich fat from feeling cloying; it keeps well without refrigeration for backcountry travel.
-
Eat a sándwich de empanada
A legendary mid-morning snack consisting of a whole, deep-fried beef or cheese empanada tucked inside a soft white bread roll (*pan felipe*). It is the classic carb-heavy fuel for early laborers.
Ask for it by name at urban lunch counters during the sacred 9:30 AM mid-morning break.
-
Try dulce de mamón Desserts and pastries
Green unripe papaya sliced and simmered for hours in rich unrefined cane syrup with cloves until translucent and deeply amber. It is customarily served with a slice of fresh, salty cow's milk cheese.
The sweetness is intense, so never skip the accompanying cheese wedge which cuts through the heavy molasses.
-
Try mazamorra (kaguyjy) Desserts and pastries
One of the oldest Guaraní desserts: white locro corn simmered in water with wood-ash lye until the kernels burst and soften. It is served chilled, drowned in whole milk or dark sugarcane molasses.
Look for street vendors selling it out of iced buckets in plastic cups during the hot summer months.
-
Taste kosereva Desserts and pastries
An artisanal preserve made from the thick peel of bitter wild oranges (*apepú*), soaked in water to reduce astringency and slow-cooked in black sugarcane molasses. It has a complex bitter-sweet, caramelized tang.
Buy jars directly at rural craft fairs or Mercado 4 in Asunción as an authentic, shelf-stable edible souvenir.
-
Try kamby arró Desserts and pastries
The Paraguayan interpretation of rice pudding, slow-cooked with creamy unpasteurized farm milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and lemon or bitter orange zest until thick, custardy, and aromatic.
Dusting with extra ground cinnamon is standard; look for it in family-run diners (*comedores*) as part of the daily lunch set.
-
Drink authentic tereré Non-alcoholic drinks
Paraguay's official national beverage: cured yerba mate steeped in ice-cold water, sipped through a metal straw (*bombilla*) from a hollowed bull's horn (*guampa*). The water pitcher is packed with freshly crushed medicinal herbs (*yuyos*).
Drinking tereré is a communal bonding ritual: whoever holds the thermos pours and hands the guampa to the next person in turn.
-
Order mate cocido quemado Non-alcoholic drinks
A smoky breakfast drink prepared by caramelizing dry yerba mate leaves with sugar over live embers before quenching them with boiling water. Strained and topped with milk, it tastes like roasted, sweet herbal tea.
Always pair this with freshly baked *mbejú* or warm *chipa* for the quintessential traditional breakfast.
-
Drink fresh mosto helado Non-alcoholic drinks
Raw sugarcane stalks crushed through iron rollers (*trapiche*) on the sidewalk and served over cracked ice with a squeeze of bitter lime to temper the dense natural sweetness.
Ensure the cart uses clean ice cubes from sealed bags rather than unwashed large commercial blocks.
-
Sip caña paraguaya Local alcohol
Paraguay's distinctive national spirit, distilled from concentrated, caramelized sugarcane molasses rather than raw juice, then aged in toasted oak or indigenous *incienso* wood barrels.
Sample aged varieties straight; avoid the cheapest clear unaged bottles which are harsh and meant strictly for cooking or medicinal blends.
-
Drink traditional carrulim Local alcohol
A ritual herbal drink whose name is an acronym for its three components: **Ca**ña (rum), **Ru**da (rue herb), and **Lim**ón (lime). By fierce tradition, seven sips are drunk on the morning of August 1st to ward off bad luck and sickness.
Taste has a strong herbal bitterness cut by sharp citrus; locals believe it purifies the blood after midwinter sickness.
