Overkill53 · CC BY-SA 4.0Mbeju
mbeju («torta aplastada»)
A flat cake of cassava starch and cheese browned in a skillet: crisp outside, chewy inside.
What it is
Cassava starch is mixed with fresh cheese, fat (traditionally pork) or butter, salt and a splash of milk until it resembles damp sand; it is then pressed into a hot skillet or griddle and browned on both sides. The melting cheese binds it all together. It is served in wedges with cocido or café con leche, and Asunción cafés also offer it filled, for example with ham and mozzarella.
Ingredients
History
One of the oldest preparations in Paraguayan cooking, it is part of tyra, the foods that accompany cocido, milk or coffee. Its Guaraní name means “flattened cake.” Variants include mbeju mestizo, made with cornmeal, and filled mbeju.
Did you know…?
General Isidoro Resquín (San Pedro) hosts the National Mbeju Festival, which marked its fifteenth year in 2026: some fifty women make mbeju live in all its varieties.
When
Breakfast, afternoon tea and the San Juan festivities (June).
Where
Nationwide; Asunción cafés such as El Café de Acá; the festival in General Resquín.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 3 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.