Asado a la paraguaya
Flame-grilled meat with cassava, sopa paraguaya, chipa guasu and salad: the weekend social ritual.
What it is
The Paraguayan asado shares its technique with the River Plate barbecue (wood or charcoal embers, coarse salt, beef cuts, chorizo and blood sausage), but it stands apart for what comes with it: boiled cassava, sopa paraguaya, chipa guasu and salad, washed down with tereré or ice-cold beer. Ribs, flank and other cuts share the grill with chicken and pork. It is the social meal par excellence, in homes, clubs and quinchos (open-sided barbecue shelters), and the most direct way to be welcomed into a family.
Ingredients
History
It arrived with the cattle introduced in the 16th century and the Creole traditions of the River Plate; ranching, especially in the Chaco, turned it into an institution. The weekly habit of gathering around the grill is as strong here as in Argentina and Uruguay.
Did you know…?
Besides grill-cooked asado there is asado a la estaca (spit-roasted on stakes), the emblem of Misiones, and asado a la olla, slow-cooked in its own juices.
When
Sundays, public holidays and any get-together.
Where
Homes and clubs; steakhouses in Asunción and the Chaco (Filadelfia, Loma Plata).
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 3 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.