Paraguayan chipa: Laylita's version
Cassava-starch cheese rings made with mozzarella, eggs and milk, with optional anise. This modern version uses baking powder and no dough fermentation.
Sopa paraguaya
Sopa paraguaya de harina de maíz
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.
History
Sopa paraguaya is a savory baked preparation based on maize flour, cheese, onion, eggs and dairy. Paraguay's food and nutrition institute describes it as a traditional dish and reports that the country's National Secretariat of Culture recognized its traditional artisanal preparation as intangible cultural heritage in 2017. The same institute records more than one origin story: an oral account links its solid form to a thickened milk, cheese, egg and maize-flour soup, while another story connects the name to a Guarani phrase. These are reported traditions, not verified events; no single origin date or birthplace is established. FUPACEL's separate chipa guazú recipe starts from fresh kernels, half of them ground, rather than the maize flour used here.
Ingredients
Yield 12 portions · Scaling: source batch only
OnionsFinely chopped.
3 medium onions
WaterCook the onion with this water.
250 mL
SaltAdd to the onion and water.
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
The source says adjust for the saltiness of the cheese.ButterSoften; the source also allows pork fat.
150 g
This version uses the butter alternative.EggsAdd one at a time to the creamed butter.
5 eggs
Chicken eggs.Queso ParaguayCrumble or grate coarsely.
500 g
MilkUse warm milk.
500 mL
Fine maize flourThe recipe identifies fine harina de maíz, sold for sopa paraguaya.
500 g
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw maize flour and egg batter
Flour may carry harmful bacteria, and raw eggs may carry Salmonella. Do not taste the batter; cook it thoroughly and clean hands, bowls, tools and work surfaces after handling.
Hazard sourceHot oven and baking dish
The oven and dish can cause burns when the batter is baked and removed.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw batter. Bake before eating, and wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling raw flour and eggs.
Control sourceUse oven mitts to handle the hot dish and place it on a stable heat-safe surface.
Control sourceThe source's oven setting, baking time, surface colour and clean-skewer cue are not an independently validated internal safety limit; no internal endpoint is established.
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking dish about 30 × 40 cm, including the sides.
- Put the chopped onions in a saucepan with the water and salt. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent without browning. Let the onions cool until warm, keeping their cooking liquid.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
- Stir in the crumbled Queso Paraguay, the warm onions with their liquid, and the milk. If the onion mixture is still hot, let it cool further before adding so it does not cook the eggs.
- Gradually stir in the fine maize flour until the batter is thick but still falls from a spoon, rather than forming a kneadable dough. Cover and rest for about 15 minutes so the flour can hydrate.
- Pour the batter into the greased dish and smooth the top. Bake at 180°C for about 50 minutes. The source's browned surface and clean skewer are recipe texture cues, not independent food-safety measurements; bake thoroughly before serving.
- Take the dish from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting it into 12 portions.
Conditions
Yield12 portions
Active time25 min
Places
Paraguay
Documented preparation · Country evidenceParaguayan recipe sources document this flour-based bake. No local birthplace is established.
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Sources
comida.com.pyMethod · Inspiration
Sopa paraguaya: la receta tradicional, por kiloThe editorial recipe uses 500 g fine maize flour, 500 g Queso Paraguay, 3 medium onions, 250 ml water, one teaspoon salt, 150 g pork fat or butter, five eggs and 500 ml milk; it gives 12 portions and a 30 × 40 cm dish.
It cooks the onions with water and salt, combines a batter of butter, eggs, cheese, onions, milk and flour, rests the mix, and bakes it at 180°C for about 50 minutes before a 15-minute rest.
The page identifies fresh-maize chipa guazú as a separate related bake and describes the sopa-origin anecdote as a popular account without documentary confirmation.
Fundación Paraguaya de Celíacos (FUPACEL)Method · History
Sopa ParaguayaFUPACEL's version uses maize flour, oil, onions, coarse salt, fresh cheese, eggs and about one litre of milk; it mixes a semi-liquid batter and bakes it in an oiled pan in a hot oven for about an hour.
The formula differs in quantities from the 500 g flour recipe and is retained as a documented variation, not combined into the selected batch.
Fundación Paraguaya de Celíacos (FUPACEL)History
Chipá GuazúFUPACEL's chipa guazú uses fresh white maize kernels, with half ground and half left whole, alongside cheese, eggs, dairy, onion and fat.
This fresh-maize preparation is distinct from flour-based sopa paraguaya.
Instituto Nacional de Alimentación y Nutrición (INAN)History
Conozcamos más sobre la Sopa ParaguayaINAN calls sopa paraguaya a traditional dish associated with Paraguay and the wider Guaraní area.
It reports the National Secretariat of Culture's 2017 recognition of traditional artisanal preparation as intangible cultural heritage.
It records several origin narratives and identifies the President Carlos Antonio López story as oral tradition, not a verified event.
It describes flour-based variants with maize flour, onion, milk, cream, lard, eggs, fresh cheese, water and salt.
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour may carry harmful bacteria; do not taste raw dough or batter and cook it before eating.
Wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling raw flour and batter.
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
What You Need to Know About Egg SafetyRaw eggs may carry Salmonella; wash hands and utensils after contact and cook egg-containing food thoroughly.