Soyo (Paraguay)

Soyo is a thick soup of meat crushed in a mortar, seasoned with several spices and vegetables that has an exquisite taste.

It is a meal that is always found in the traditional Paraguayan cooking and as all the others, has an important caloric value.

Even though it used to be considered as a meal only eaten by the people of scarce resources, it has become extraordinarily popular in every social stratum in Paraguay.

Origin of the name

The word “soyo” is short for “so’o josopy”, Guaraní words for “meat” (so’o) and “crushed” (josopyré). The literal translation is “crushed meat”.

When the meat is not crushed and instead it is boiled in the soup chopped in little pieces, it called “so’o josopy ita’y”, which it’s interpreted as curdle soup. In this case, it means that the meal is obviously less tasteful that the original version.

Ingredients

The traditional recipe uses crushed meat, cold water, rice, oil or grease, onion, sweet red pepper, tomato, scallion, flour (just a little), salt, oregano and parsley.

Preparation

The “so’o josopy” it’s prepared this way: crushing in the mortar the meat and rice or being chopped in the grinder until having formed a paste. This paste is put in a bowl with cold water and it’s stirred there. In saucepan, cook the onion, tomato, sweet red pepper and scallion in hot oil chopped in little pieces.

Then add the flour to the sauce and mixed this with the meat, rice and water. Stir continuously until it boils. Finally add the salt, oregano and parsley. According to every person’s preference, once cooked the soup, it can be put in the blender to make it thicker.

References

• “Tembi’u Paraguay” de Josefina Velilla de Aquino
• “Karú rekó – Antropología culinaria paraguaya”, de Margarita Miró Ibars