Name: Paraguayan Sopa Paraguaya
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels; 1 cup cornmeal (fine); 1 cup crumbled fresh cheese (queso fresco, farmer's cheese, or mild feta); 1 large onion, finely diced; 3 tbsp lard or butter; 3 eggs, beaten; 1 cup whole milk; 1/2 cup sour cream or crema; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp black pepper

A dense, golden cornbread made with fresh corn, crumbled cheese, and onion — Paraguay's national dish, and the only "soup" in the world you eat with a fork. Rich, savory, and impossible to stop eating.

The Cultural Story

The name means 'Paraguayan soup' — except it is absolutely not a soup. It is a thick, dense, golden cornbread baked in a rectangular pan. The story goes that a 19th century Paraguayan president requested his cook make sopa de maíz (corn soup), but the cook accidentally used too much flour and the result set solid in the oven. The president loved it. The name stuck. What is certain is that sopa paraguaya is as old as the Guaraní people — Paraguay is unique in South America for having preserved its indigenous language as a co-official language alongside Spanish, and much of the national food culture (particularly its dependence on corn and cassava) comes directly from Guaraní tradition. The dish uses fresh corn kernels rather than dried cornmeal, giving it a moist, slightly custardy interior with a golden crust. Crumbled Paraguayan cheese (queso paraguayo — fresh, mild, and salty) and onion cooked in lard are folded in. The result is part cornbread, part savory pudding, eaten warm alongside grilled meats or simply on its own with a glass of cold terere (iced herb tea). It is the food of Sunday lunches and national celebrations and grandmothers' kitchens.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup cornmeal (fine)
1 cup crumbled fresh cheese (queso fresco, farmer's cheese, or mild feta)
1 large onion, finely diced
3 tbsp lard or butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream or crema
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with lard or butter.
2Sauté onion in lard over medium heat until completely soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Do not brown — you want sweet, soft onion. Cool slightly.
3Blend fresh corn kernels until coarsely ground (not fully smooth — some texture is good). If using frozen, thaw and pat dry first.
4In a large bowl, combine ground corn, cornmeal, milk, sour cream, eggs, and salt. Stir until combined.
5Fold in the sautéed onion (with its fat), crumbled cheese, baking powder, and pepper.
6Pour into the prepared baking pan. The batter will be thick and will not spread much.
7Bake for 45–50 minutes until the top is deep golden-brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The edges will pull away slightly from the pan.
8Cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Sopa paraguaya is best warm — the cheese pockets are soft and the interior has a slight custard quality. Serve alongside grilled meat, or simply eat square by square, standing at the counter.

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