Chipa So’o – gefülltes Brot aus Paraguay

Chippa So’o — a stuffed bread from Paraguay — is participating in the “Culinary World Tour” blog event hosted by Volkermampft. This month we’re traveling to Paraguay; every month we stop in a different country.

Paraguayan chipa is a traditional, cheesy bread made from cassava/manioc flour. It’s naturally gluten-free and can be eaten stuffed or plain.

Chipa has a rich history that is closely tied to the culture and religion of Paraguay. It is believed that the bread originated with the Guarani people, for whom cassava was a staple food. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they introduced cheese and eggs to the region, which were subsequently incorporated into the traditional recipe for cassava bread. Today, chipa is associated with the Catholic Church and is often eaten during Holy Week as a symbol of communion with Christ.

Some historians point out that the German traveler Ulrich Schmidl mentioned the recipe for this type of starchy bread—made by the Cario-Guarani people (an indigenous tribe that once lived in Asunción)—as early as the colonial era. Schmidl was responsible for making entries in the logbook of the Spanish ship carrying the expedition led by Juan de Ayolas, which was later to arrive in Asunción, marking the first encounter between the Spaniards and the Cario-Guarani.

Schmidl’s notes and historical sources from the colonial period mention on several occasions that the Cario-Guarani prepared bread from cassava, corn, and sweet corn, mixed with animal fat and known as “mbujapé” (meaning “bread” in the Guarani language). A fusion of ingredients was due to the introduction of cattle to Asunción in 1556; thanks to these animals, new ingredients such as beef, milk, eggs, cheese, and so on eventually became available.

This combination gave rise to dishes that have been known from colonial times to the present day and are traditionally part of Paraguayan cuisine.