Asunción

Hot air swirls with the scent of grilled corn, slow-cooked beef, and frying dough. It’s 8 a.m. and Mercado 4 thrums with life. Serious cooks unload sacks of mandioca, while locals swap stories over cocido. In Asunción, food is loud, bright, and tangled with heritage. You can taste the Paraguayan sun in each bite—rich, rustic, unpolished. Few places remain so untouched by food trends, yet so fiercely proud of flavor.

• Sopa Paraguaya – Not a soup, but a moist, savory cornbread dotted with cheese and onions. Born from necessity in wartime, now a beloved staple at family feasts.
• Chipa – Chewy, golden cheese rolls made from manioc flour and Paraguayan cheese. You’ll find them at every street corner, warm, nutty, and a little salty.
• Asado – Thick hunks of beef slow-grilled over quebracho wood. Smoked, tender, a Saturday tradition—shared at parks, family tables, and riverside stalls.
• Mbejú – A crisp, dense cassava pancake, pan-fried until toasty, sometimes layered with gooey cheese. Perfect for breakfast or a midday snack.
• Bori Bori – Hearty chicken and dumpling soup with yellow masa balls. Comfort food, usually homemade, but some market stalls serve robust, steamy bowls.

Mercado 4 is Asunción’s pulse—clamorous, messy, essential. Vendors hawk baskets of fresh chipa and mbejú, best eaten warm. Snack stands sizzle with empanadas crisped to golden perfection. Don’t skip the lomito árabe—Paraguay’s take on the shawarma, sold from tiny night carts. A salty mix of grilled beef, garlic mayo, and fresh tomatoes, wrapped in pillowy pita. Most mornings, old men grab cocido (smoky mate tea, sweetened and served hot) with their cheese breads, chatting beneath cracked sun awnings. Watch for fake crafts and pickpockets, but most stalls are welcoming and honest.

Finish hot afternoons with a glass of tereré, Paraguay’s iconic iced herb tea, sometimes spiked with citrus or mint—a ritual, not just a drink. For dessert, look for dulce de mamón (sweet papaya slowly candied until amber and sticky), or mburucuyá mousse, tangy with local passionfruit. Carts sell melcocha, a stiff, taffy-like candy, while panaderías display pastelitos, small pastry triangles filled with guava jam.

• Wildly authentic flavors you won’t find in neighboring Brazil or Argentina.
• Markets that ooze with local life—no menu translation needed, just a hungry smile.
• Cheese breads, smoky meats, sweets, and fresh juice for just a handful of guaraníes.
• Slow meals and big talk: dining here means making friends, not just filling up.

Asunción surprises—loud, unpretentious, and generous, just like its food. Here, every meal tells a story; every bite invites you closer.