Sopa Paraguaya – the national dish from Paraguay

Sopa paraguaya ist the national dish from Paraguay and is not a soup, but a cornbread with cheese and onions. It is naturally gluten-free and has some similarities with American cornbread. It is normally served alongside hearty dishes, such as meat (asado) or stews and soups. I highly recommend making it alongside the Paraguayan soup vori vori. It can also be eaten as breakfast. There are many mysteries entwined around the fact that it is called “soup” (sopa in Spanish), but not really being a soup. Below I will give the most common explanation for this rather unusual name.

Obviously, one of the first questions always is, why this is a “sopa” if it isn’t a soup. One explanation is that the very first president of Paraguay Don Carlos Antonio López had ordered his favorite soup “sopa blanca” from his chef. By mistake the chef added much more corn flour than originally intended, but decided to simply go with it and serve it to the president anyway. He “baked” it in a frying pan and hoped for the best. When the president tried this “sopa”, he enjoyed it so much, he declared it to be the “sopa paraguaya”, the soup of the nation. If you are interested in further stories and background, you can check this article (in Spanish).

Credit: Inspired by Euge Aquino on Instagram (in Spanish)

Print Recipe

Sopa Paraguaya - the national dish from Paraguay

Serves: One small cake pan of 16x24cm

Prep Time: 25min – Cooking Time: 35min – Total Time: 1hr

Sopa paraguaya is the national dish from Paraguay, it is similar to a cornbread, gluten-free and contains cheese and onions.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion (about 150 grams)
• 360 grams of water
• 1 heaping teaspoon of salt (depending how salty your cheese is)
• 125-150 grams of mozzarella or other mild cheese (originally queso paraguayo)
• 80 grams of butter, at room temperature (originally lard)
• 2 large eggs
• 120 grams of buttermilk
• 325 grams of corn flour (normal one, not pre-cooked)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

Instructions

1

Peel the onion, cut finely and put with water and salt into a pot. Let simmer for about 10 minutes with a lid, then let cool. Meanwhile cube the cheese. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a small casserole or cake pan (mine is 16x24cm) with parchment paper.

2

Beat the butter until fluffy, then mix in eggs, one at a time. Add the cooled-off onion water and buttermilk, briefly mix. Now add corn flour and baking powder and whisk. Lastly fold in the cubed cheese. Evenly spread in your form.

3

Bake on medium rack for about 35min or until golden in color. It is best served warm. Sopa paraguaya is very versatile, you may serve along hearty dishes such as stews, soups, or meat. I especially recommend making it as a side for the Paraguayan soup vori vori. You can also have it for breakfast. If kept airtight, it will keep for a few days, I would recommend keeping in the fridge. You can also freeze it.