Cuisine of Asunción facts for kids
The Cuisine of Asunción is all about the food and restaurants you can find in Asunción, the capital city of Paraguay. Compared to many other big cities in Latin America, Asunción has fewer European-style restaurants. However, you can still enjoy many types of food there, including Italian, Chinese, Mexican, and traditional Paraguayan dishes.
Eating Out in Asunción
Meat, especially beef, is a very important part of the Paraguayan diet. In Asunción, the restaurants are often more fancy and offer more choices than those in smaller towns. In rural areas, you might mostly find simple snack bars.
Even if you don't eat meat, you can find good salads in Asunción, even at places called churrasquerias (restaurants that serve roasted meats). Most regular restaurants offer different meat dishes with sides like chips, rice salad, potato salad, or a mixed salad (lettuce, tomato, onion). People often don't eat dessert after their meal.
Special Dishes and Restaurants
In Asunción, some fancy restaurants called parilladas serve grilled meat with manioc (a starchy root vegetable). Many restaurants in the city offer traditional Paraguayan food. You can also find bars like Bohemia and Bambuddha that have live music in the evenings.
In recent years, more and more Asian food has become popular in Asunción. This is because many people from countries like Japan, China, and Korea have moved there. For example, a restaurant called La Vide Verde offers Chinese vegetarian dishes, which is different from the usual meat-focused Paraguayan meals.
Even though Asunción might not have as many different types of food as some other capital cities, you can still find European influences. Restaurants like Talleyrand serve international dishes, and the Britannia Pub offers British food and drinks.
La Flor de la Canela is a restaurant that serves Peruvian cuisine. They are known for their fish and seafood dishes, especially ceviche (raw seafood marinated in citrus juice). Some of the fancier international restaurants are located inside or very close to the city's top hotels. For instance, the Excelsior Hotel has a restaurant that serves Italian cuisine. The Quebrancho restaurant, near La Misión Hotel, is one of the most expensive places to eat in the city.
Some very expensive restaurants serve river fish like surubí in different ways, sometimes with broad beans and tomatoes. Other popular dishes in these restaurants include asparagus soup with shredded carrots and onions, tilapia fish with escargot sauce, and filet steak with fresh mushrooms and baby potatoes.
You can also find specific dishes in popular restaurants like sandwiches, curried rabbit, garlic pizza, and surubí casa nostra (a dish with many types of pasta). Sopa paraguaya (a savory cake with cheese and onion) is another local favorite. In places like Monte Libano, you can try Lebanese swamis (meat and spices wrapped in bread).
