The name is chipa—a cheese biscuit made with sweet cassava starch, butter, milk, eggs, and salt.
On Good Friday, brasiguaios (Brazilians of Paraguayan descent) living on the Brazil-Paraguay border in Mato Grosso do Sul replace the traditional fish dish with this typical recipe.
They take advantage of the preparation of this delicacy as a way to come together on the date that commemorates the death of Jesus Christ.
There’s always a tatakua in one of the homes—a rustic oven made of bricks and a mixture of mud and molasses. Without a chimney, the oven is filled with embers, which are removed once the temperature gets very high.
It’s this intense heat that bakes the chipas.
The biscuit is widely consumed in Mato Grosso do Sul, much like pão de queijo (cheese bread) is loved in Minas Gerais and the rest of Brazil.
Regardless of the occasion, chipa is part of the diet of those who appreciate a savory snack that’s filled on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Chipa is usually found in a horseshoe shape, but many traditional Paraguayan families don’t worry much about the shape—what matters is the flavor.