Tapioca starch
Tapioca starch is the fine starch separated from cassava roots. Cheese breads such as pandebono and pão de queijo use cassava starch, but some recipes specify fermented sour starch. Whole-root cassava flour is a different ingredient.
Modern method
Paraguayan chipa: Laylita's version
Chipa · Chipá · Paraguayan chipa
Cassava-starch cheese rings made with mozzarella, eggs and milk, with optional anise. This modern version uses baking powder and no dough fermentation.
A starch dough, shaped into rings
Tapioca starch gives this cheese bread its characteristic chew. Whole-root cassava flour is a different ingredient and is not an equivalent swap.
Chipa is a wider family than these rings. This modern Paraguayan-style formula remains separate from fresh-maize chipa guazú and from Argentine ball-shaped versions.
Sources for this section
History
Layla Pujol's contemporary Paraguayan-style recipe, updated April 2026. No dated earliest attestation is established.
Ingredients
Yield 20 chipas, as listed by the source · Scaling: source batch only
Tapioca starch
400 g
Cassava starch/tapioca flour, not whole-root cassava flour. Alternative: 300 g starch plus 100 g corn flour.MozzarellaFreshly grate.
300 g
Neutral oil
60 mL
Alternative: ¼ cup melted butter or lard.Whole milk
120 mL
Add more gradually if dough is dry.Baking powder
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Salt
A pinch.
Anise seeds (optional)
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw egg dough
Uncooked eggs may contain harmful bacteria.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough. Keep flour away from ready-to-eat foods and clean hands, utensils and surfaces after handling.
Control sourceGolden colour is not proof of safety. The household bake time is not a validated internal-temperature endpoint. No validated storage limit is established.
- Heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Whisk eggs, oil and milk. Add half the starch and baking powder; whisk smooth.
- Add remaining starch, cheese, salt and optional anise. Mix by hand until pliable; add milk gradually if dry.
- Divide into 45–50 g portions. Roll into ropes about 10 cm long and join into round or oval rings.
- Space about 2 cm apart on the sheet. Bake 15–20 minutes until golden; remove promptly and serve warm.
Conditions
Yield20 chipas, as listed by the source
Active time15 min
Places
Paraguay
Documented preparation · Country evidenceCountry-level association, not a precise birthplace.
Related
More from South America
Sopa paraguaya
Sopa paraguaya is a savory Paraguayan bake made with fine maize flour, cheese, onion, eggs and milk. This flour-based cake is distinct from chipa guazú, which FUPACEL makes with fresh maize.
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Sources
Laylita's RecipesRecipe · Identity · Geography
Paraguayan Chipa (Cheese Bread)Starch identity, full formula, mixing, 45–50 g portions, ten-centimetre ropes, ring shaping, spacing and bake.
Cited in: A starch dough, shaped into rings
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour hazards and handling.