Mandi’o chyryry y chororqui
mandi’o chyryry (mandioca frita) / chororqui (mandi’o chyryry kesu)
Boiled then fried cassava; with egg, onion and cheese it becomes chororqui, the scramble that uses up lunchtime leftovers.
What it is
Mandi’o chyryry is cassava boiled with salt and then fried until golden and crunchy outside and soft inside. In its fuller version it is mixed with egg, spring onion and Queso Paraguay and is called chororqui (mandi’o chyryry kesu), a scramble similar to the River Plate “gramajo”, but with cassava instead of fried potatoes. Chororqui was born to use up leftover boiled cassava from lunch, which is why it is often eaten at dinner. It takes bacon, minced beef, ham or sausage. Cassava goes with almost every Paraguayan meal and replaces bread on the daily table.
Ingredients
History
Cassava is a crop native to South America and a base of the Guaraní diet; “mandioca” is a Guaraní loanword. La Nación reports that mandi’o chyryry was cooked for hundreds of people at a Cassava Day celebration.
Did you know…?
Cassava Day is celebrated with a producers’ fair and tastings at a wholesale market in Limpio.
When
Dinner or lunch; all year.
Where
In homes across the country and at traditional-food fairs.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 4 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.