Chipa

Paraguay

Also known as Chipá

About Chipa

Chipa is a small, cheesy bread from Paraguay made with cassava (manioc) starch rather than wheat flour, which makes it naturally gluten-free. Baked chipa has a firm crust and a dense, chewy, cheesy interior.

Its roots go back to the Guaraní people and Jesuit missions of the 17th and 18th centuries, when cassava, a staple of the Guaraní diet, was combined with eggs, milk and cheese. Anise seeds are often added for a light, sweet aroma.

Chipa is eaten throughout Paraguay at breakfast or as a snack with mate or cocido, a sweet burnt-sugar tea. It is shaped into rings, small loaves or balls and sold by street vendors and at bus stations, especially during Holy Week.

Ingredients

• cassava starch
• cheese
• eggs
• milk
• butter
• anise seeds