Pastel mandi’o is a doughy snack made with cornflour, boiled cassava, fat, and eggs. It is stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, boiled eggs, and seasonings. These snacks are fried in oil or fat and served hot. The dough is sweet, and the filling is replete with flavors, giving the dish a distinctive taste. Mandi’o means cassava in the Guarani language, and it is this ingredient which gives a unique Guarani twist to the dish.
These snacks resemble empanadas, mainly differing from the latter in the use of cornflour and cassava, which are typical for Paraguay. They encompass the authentic taste of Paraguayan cuisine and are a popular street food served in local bars, particularly during the festival of San Juan.
A simple bun called chipa is the most common food staple in Paraguay. The famous bread is made with cassava flour, lard, and anise. It originates from the Native American people Guarani, indigenous to the Amazon area of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
The origin of chipa dates back to the time when wheat was not present in South America, and cassava was the most commonly used starch in the area. In colonial times, the Jesuit missionaries introduced milk, eggs, and cheese to the indigenous people, which finalized the chipa recipe.
VARIATIONS OF Chipa
MOST ICONIC Chipa
Chipa guasu is a variety of chipa, a cake based on corn grains with the addition of onions, water, eggs, cinnamon, milk, and cheese. Its name stems from two words - chipa, referring to a variety of corn-based cakes, and guasu, which means big in Guarani, so one can say that chipa guasu is the largest of all chipas.
It is a favorite side dish in Paraguay during the corn harvest, when cooks brown them in hornos, traditional mud adobe-built outdoor ovens. The dish was invented during the Paraguayan War in the mid-1850s, when food was scarce, and people needed food that was affordable, simple, and highly caloric, providing nourishment during the day.
MOST ICONIC Chipa guasu
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Chipa so'o is a savory cake that is popular in Paraguay and Argentina. The dough is prepared with a combination of pork fat, corn flour, corn starch, milk, salt, and cheese. Once prepared, the dough is shaped into balls and filled with a mixture of eggs and ground or finely chopped meat.
Before baking, chipa so'o is brushed with milk in order to develop a nice color on the exterior. This chipa variety is consumed as a hearty snack, but it can also make for a calorie-laden lunch.
Lampreado, also known as payaguá mascada, is a nutritious Paraguayan cassava fritter that is traditionally filled with ground beef and scallions. In order to prepare it, cassava is first cooked, mashed, then combined with other ingredients, and the concoction is then fried in hot oil until golden brown.
Some recipes also include lard, and the dish is best served with a fresh salad on the side. Lampreado is especially popular at the Fiesta de San Juan (St. John festival), which is celebrated annually on June 24.
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