Paraguay Eating

Eating

Eating: You'll find much of the standard South American cuisine here - beans, rice, with some Brazilian influence as well (fried bananas, pineapple). Also highly popular are empanadas (meat/egg stuffed in a pastry and baked) and milanesa (breaded and fried chicken/beef/fish) - these are considered fast food, and are also found in other countries in the region. If you order a hamburger at a restaurant, expect it to come topped with a fried egg. Asado (BBQ) is great, and prices are quite reasonable - 20000 Guaranis ($3.20 US) will get you an all you can eat buffet at many nice places. 5000 Guarani is enough to pay for a hamburger. Paraguayan food isn't particularly spicy, so those who can't tolerate spices won't have problems here. There is a lot of traditional food. Chipa-a bread baked in a fire, usually made out of cassava (yuca) flour. Cassava is often substituted for potatoes. Sopa Paraguay a form of corn bread are two of the most well known. Everyone eats beef! Cattle are raised throughout Paraguay and beef is cheap and readily available. Every house has a built-in barbecue grill! The meat is not quick grilled but slow roasted and called "carne asado." Chicken is expensive but readily available. Fish is limited to the catches made in the nearby river and not seafood. It is not readily available. Potatoes can be had but not usually at every meal. Instead starches are consumed as manioc root or corn bread called "sopa paraguayo"(not soup.)There is also an anise flavored bread made from manioc flour and available on every street corner by vendors with baskets on their head called "chipa." Cooked vegetables are not common, salads are not frequent and should not be consumed raw as they may be contaminated with impure water. Drinking: It's not advisable to drink the tap water (unless boiled), but you probably won't get sick if you do. The national beverage in Paraguay is a tea called mate, and is made from the yerba plant. It is served in wooden cups, and is drunk through a metal straw called a bombilla. The tea is prepared by pouring dry yerba into the cup, then adding water (hot or cold) and optionally sugar. When prepared cold, it is called "tereré". Often, herbs are added to the mix. The taste is best described as earthy and bitter; it will take getting used to if you plan to drink it. Drinking mate is most definitely one of the social customs of Paraguay, shops will close around noon for a siesta and a mate round with friends. If you can get used to the taste and participate, locals will be appreciative. This drink is also found in other South American countries such as Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Brazil. Beer is widely available, as are many liquors. A national soft drink, called Pulp, is available in orange and grapefruit flavor and found mostly around Asunción. The most common drink in Paraguay is a combination of yerba mate (a tea-like plant containing a natural stimulant) and water. This can take several forms: as in Argentina, Uruaguay and parts of Brazil, it can be made in a small gourd with hot water. More commonly in Paraguay (because of the heat), it is made with cold water and called "terere" (pronounced "tay-ray-ray."). This may be drunk from a special cup fashioned from a cow horn, a cylindrical wooden cup, or possibly any kind of cup available. Cold or hot, the mate is drunk through a communal metal straw (the "bombilla")that strains the mixture as you drink. (Note: if offered a drink, DO NOT say "gracias" (thank you) as this means you do not wish any more after this one sip.) Another variation of preparation is to boil the yerba on the stove with sugar then strain it for serving. In this form it is called "cocido", which simply means "cooked". Bottled water is available in "gasified," i.e,. carbonated mineral water and "sin gas," not carbonated. Bottled soda is also available. Coca Cola is called simply "coca." This is not to be confused with coca leaves! There is also a local flavor called "guarana," which is refreshing. Hot tea, iced tea or hot coffee is NOT readily available.