Food Talk
Sopa Paraguaya Frances Peterson, PCV Paraguay
This cheesy cornbread is a Paraguayan staple. Depending on the cook, it might be filled with layer of ground meat or lots of fresh vegetables. In rural Paraguay, most of the ingredients are casero or homemade. Corn flour made from the corn in your garden, cheese made from your cow’s milk, lard from your pig recently killed for someone’s birthday or an upcoming holiday and eggs from your chickens.
After the ingredients are mixed together, they are placed in a pan lined with banana leaves.
This prevents the delicate dish from sticking to the pan.
Preparing the tatakua
When the sopa is done, it is usually golden brown on top and moist in the middle. It is best eaten warm, fresh out of the oven.
Sopa paraguaya baking
Traditionally, sopa paraguaya is cooked in a tatkua, or a domed brick oven. A fire is made in the oven with wood. When the bricks are hot enough, the burning wood is removed and the sopa is placed inside to cook.
Preparing corn flour
Fresh sopa paraguaya
Sopa Paraguaya Recipe:
Ingredients: Directions: 2 large white onions, chopped 1. Beat lard until fluffy 1 tablespoon salt 2. Add eggs and cheese, mix well ¾ cup lard (or butter) 3. Beat in milk and add onions 11 ounces Paraguayan cheese (or soft white cheese) 4. Add flour and mix well 2 cups milk 5. Bake for about an hour at 350F 18 ounces corn flour 4 eggs
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