Barbecuing in Paraguay is a real art. Celebrating a friend's birthday? A religious holiday? Just a regular Friday night? All are perfect excuses for an "asado" (barbecue). A typical Paraguayan asado consists of "chorizo" (sausage), "mandioca" (yuca), salads, sopa Paraguaya (similar to cornbread), and really, really good meat. I also highly recommend the relatively recent asado addition, "chorizo con queso," a sausage filled with salty, melted white cheese. As appetizers, hosts will arrange a "picada," where chorizo and mandioca are cut up into bite-size pieces and guests use toothpicks to pop them in their mouths.
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| Sebastian and Marcelo putting the chorizo on the grill |
Other interesting "delicacies" if you're adventurous consist of "molleja" (cow's cheek), "morcilla" (blood sausage), "corazoncitos de pollo" (chicken hearts - which I actually tried, unknowingly!) or "chinchulin" (small intestines of a cow).
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| Chorizos on the charcoal grill |
The meat is all cooked on a large "parrilla" (charcoal grill) in the host's backyard. Practically every house in Paraguay boasts one of these enormous grills and a patio with a long communal table, just beyond. While the salads and side dishes round out the meal, don't be fooled - the real star of the show is the meat.
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| Asado at Camilo and Pilu's house |
And don't forget a good bottle of Malbec from neighboring Argentina or an ice-cold Paraguayan Pilsen beer - the Paraguayans may know meat, but don't expect a great bottle of domestic wine.
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