Asunción CityParaguay travel guide

Flavors

Flavors of Paraguay

Three Guaraní words unlock the Paraguayan table: mandi'o, avati and kesu, that is, cassava, corn and cheese. From the meeting of Cario-Guaraní cooking with the meat and dairy brought by the Spanish came sopa paraguaya (a savory cornbread you cut with a knife), the chipa (cheese bread) sold on the street by chiperas, and the vori vori of cool days. Add to that the rivers and their surubí catfish, beef from the Chaco, the legacy of German, Italian and Japanese colonies, and a calendar packed with patron-saint festivals, town food fairs and chopp (draft beer) festivals. All of it washed down with tereré, iced yerba mate with fresh herbs, listed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2020.

The tereré round

Tereré is for sharing: a single guampa (cup) and a single bombilla (metal straw) pass from hand to hand, and one person, the cebador, is in charge of serving. Traditionally the youngest in the group pours. Being invited into a round is a gesture of trust and the best way to strike up a conversation with Paraguayans in a plaza, an office or on a road trip. It is drunk cold, with ice water and pohã ñana (fresh medicinal herbs), and preceded by tereré rupa, a little something to eat first, such as chipa.

  1. Accept the guampa the cebador offers you; nobody serves themselves.
  2. Drink it all until the bombilla gurgles; don’t leave it half-finished.
  3. Hand the guampa back to the cebador, not to your neighbor: the cebador refills it for the next person.
  4. Don’t move or stir the bombilla: it clogs and spoils the yerba for everyone.
  5. Saying “gracias” as you hand it back is usually taken to mean you’ve had enough; if you’re still thirsty, just return it without a word.
  6. Eat something first (tereré rupa): drinking tereré on an empty stomach isn’t recommended.
  7. If you’d rather not share a bombilla, you can politely decline; nobody will be offended.

Cocido with chipa: the Paraguayan breakfast

In homes, roadside stops and cafés, the day starts with cocido (yerba mate scorched with sugar and an ember, then boiled and strained) and a tyra, the food that goes with it: chipa, mbeju, sopa paraguaya, or reviro in the south and east. On the street, the chiperas pass by early with their baskets. It is the simplest, cheapest way to have breakfast like a local.

  1. Put two or three spoonfuls of yerba and the same amount of sugar in a pot.
  2. Set a glowing charcoal ember on top and stir until the sugar caramelizes.
  3. Add boiling water, let it steep for a few minutes and strain.
  4. Drink it plain or with hot milk.
  5. Serve with warm chipa, mbeju or a slice of sopa paraguaya.

The Sunday barbecue

On Sundays, and any public holiday, the fire is lit by mid-morning in homes, quinchos (open-sided barbecue shelters) and clubs. While the meat cooks, tereré or beer makes the rounds and people snack on chorizo and blood sausage. The table never lacks cassava, sopa paraguaya or chipa guasu and a salad. Being invited to an asado is one of the best experiences a visitor can have.

  1. Bring something: beer, ice, bread or a dessert is always welcome.
  2. Start with the picada (appetizers): chorizo, blood sausage and cassava while the big cuts cook.
  3. Take sopa paraguaya or chipa guasu with your meat: it’s part of the asado, not an extra.
  4. Thank the asador (grill master): they spent hours by the fire so everyone could eat.
  5. Stay for the sobremesa (lingering after the meal) with tereré: a Paraguayan asado is never rushed.

San Juan Festivities (San Juan Ára)

Around June 24, and for much of the month, schools, parishes, clubs and neighborhoods hold San Juan festivities. There are fire games such as pelota tatá (a flaming ball) or walking barefoot over embers (tatá ári jehasa), the toro candil (a “bull” with flaming horns), the greased pole (yvyra sy'ĩ) and kambuchi jejoka, a clay pot smashed blindfolded. Above all, there is food: mbeju, pastel mandi'o, payagua mascada, chicharõ trenzado, butifarra, longaniza, pork roll, mbusia (blood sausage) and chipas of every kind.

  1. Look for a San Juan party at a school, parish or neighborhood: they’re usually open to all and inexpensive.
  2. Buy tokens or pay per plate at the food stalls.
  3. Try at least mbeju, pastel mandi'o and payagua mascada, all freshly made.
  4. Watch the fire games from a safe distance: the pelota tatá rolls right through the crowd.
  5. Stay until the end, when the Judas kái, an effigy stuffed with firecrackers, is usually burned.

Holy Week chipa

Holy Week is the high season for chipa. In the days leading up to it, families gather to knead huge batches and bake them in the tatakua, the clay oven in the backyard, to share with relatives and neighbors. By tradition, on Good Friday chipa is practically the only food, alongside meatless dishes such as sopa paraguaya and chipa guasu. Along the highways, stands selling fresh-baked chipa multiply.

  1. If someone invites you to knead chipa, say yes: it’s a family, group effort.
  2. Heat the tatakua with firewood, remove the embers and bake in the stored heat.
  3. Save some chipa for Good Friday, when many households don’t cook.
  4. Bring chipa as a gift when visiting family and friends during the week.
  5. If you’re on the road, stop at the chiperías of Coronel Bogado or Eusebio Ayala.

Carrulim on August 1

August has a reputation as a long, hard month of cold, wind and illness. To protect themselves, on August 1 Paraguayans drink carrulim on an empty stomach: three or seven sips, depending on each household’s custom. The day coincides with National Pohã Ñana Day, with tastings, talks and events in Asunción. The practice was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by the National Secretariat of Culture in 2019.

  1. On July 31, steep a few rue leaves and lemon slices or juice in clear caña.
  2. Let it rest for a few hours in a cool, dark place.
  3. On August 1, first thing in the morning and before eating, take three or seven small sips.
  4. Go easy on the rue: in excess it is toxic, and it should be avoided during pregnancy.
  5. If you don’t drink alcohol, join in with an herbal tereré: the day also celebrates pohã ñana.

Jopara against Karai Octubre

In Paraguayan tradition, October is a month of scarcity personified by Karai Octubre, a goblin who brings hardship. To keep him away, on the first day of the month people make jopara, a mix of locro corn, beans and meat, in huge pots shared with the neighbors. Town councils, parishes and organizations hand out free portions, and Presidente Franco holds a festival dedicated to it.

  1. On October 1, look for a community or parish pot: at some, jopara is free for anyone who brings a container.
  2. Eat well: tradition says the abundance of that day ensures abundance for the rest of the year.
  3. Share with neighbors or visitors: jopara is never made for just one.
  4. Try the regional versions: with offal, with cheese (jopara kesu) or meatless.

Kurusu Ára: the cross adorned with chipas

On the Day of the Cross, Kurusu Ára, many families set up altars at home where the cross is decorated with chipas and strings of peanuts. Some are monumental: in Asunción, one family has kept a “calvary” of some 3,000 chipas for more than 90 years, and in San Lorenzo and Carapeguá the tradition is alive and well. It is one of the loveliest expressions of popular faith tied to food.

  1. Ask around in neighborhoods and towns for altars open to the public on May 3.
  2. Approach respectfully: it is a religious and family celebration.
  3. Ask permission before photographing the altar or the people praying.

Buying herbs for tereré

At Asunción’s Mercado 4 and in markets across the interior, yuyeras (herb sellers) offer fresh medicinal herbs and crush them on the spot in a wooden mortar. Each blend answers a need: cooling off in summer, easing digestion or simply adding flavor. It is a quintessentially Paraguayan experience, inexpensive and full of conversation, and the most authentic way to make tereré.

  1. Go in the morning, when the herbs are freshest.
  2. Tell the yuyera what you want it for: cooling off, digestion or just flavor.
  3. Ask her to crush the blend in the mortar and bag it with water or ice.
  4. Add the herbs to your tereré jug or thermos.
  5. Ask about contraindications if you’re pregnant or taking medication.