Paraguay: Sopa Paraguaya

 Baking has not fit into my schedule lately. I have made the quick Italian loaf a few times, but two kids in multiple activities does not leave time to indulge in this little project of mine. 

I was determined to write a new entry this weekend and built it into my schedule. Truly, I am not sure if I like the physical baking of the research into traditional breads more. This week, Paraguay took center stage and the national dish just happens to be a bread dish. It is the perfect bread for learning some history and getting my hands dirty. 

The origin story of sopa paraguaya involves Don Carlos Antoni Lopez, the first president of Paraguay. Apparently, one of his cooks was preparing a soup that he liked and she added too much corn flour. The end result of this fortuitious mistake became so beloved it became the national dish.

There is another origin story. That the indigenous people in what is now Paraguay cooked a dish very similar to modern day sopa paraguaya, They adopted the cooking techniques of the colonizing Europeans and added new ingredients as they were introduced to the indigenous people. However, the base of dairy and corn with eggs, as a bread item, has roots that predate the arrival of the Europeans.

Whatever the true story is, this is a celebrated dish.

The recipe I used can be found here: https://www.internationalcuisine.com/sopa-paraguaya/

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups corn flour
• 2 cups Milk
• 4 Onions white, chopped finely
• 12 oz. Queso paraguay grated, or as an alternative use 9 oz. mozzarella and 3 oz. grated parmesan
• 4 Eggs
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 F.
2) In a skillet cook the onions until translucent, add salt and pepper
3) In a bowl, whisk the eggs until they become foamy.
4) In a separate bowl, add the corn flour, then the cooked onion and the milk, and mix.
5) Add the eggs and the cheese grated. Mix well.
6) Grease a baking dish with oil and pour the mixture in it.
7) Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the surface is golden brown. Poke the sopa paraguaya with a toothpick, it should come out clean.

8) Let cool and cut into individual pieces.

This was incredibly easy to make. I wound up having to leave it in the oven for a total of 50 minutes. It formed a large lump in the middle, but the taste/ texture was fine and it was evenly cooked through.

There was a split verdict on this. My husband and I both enjoyed the mild flavor and different texture. It was dense and not like the southern corn breads popular in the States. My daughter thought it was fine but didn't finish hers. My son did not like it. Though, in fairness, he is going through that 6 year old stage of wanting only familiar foods. I don't see myself making this again, but appreciate the stories history.

The next destination will have me saying хлеб. We are Russia bound.