Piracaldo (Pira caldo)
Overview
Piracaldo is a Paraguayan fish soup made with freshwater fish from the country's great rivers, such as catfish, surubí or pacú. The fish heads and bones are simmered for a stock, then onion, garlic, green pepper and tomato are fried in fat and added with pieces of fish. Many cooks enrich the broth with milk and cubes of soft queso Paraguay, the local fresh cheese, which melts into it and makes it creamy, and some add a beaten egg. It is seasoned with salt, oregano and parsley, and served hot, often with chipa, the cheese bread of Paraguay, or mandioca.
History
Pira means fish in Guaraní, Paraguay's indigenous language, which is spoken by most of the population alongside Spanish. The soup joins the Guaraní word with the Spanish caldo, broth, a typical mix in Paraguayan cooking. It is cooked by families who live along the Paraguay and Paraná rivers, where fishing has always been an important source of food.
Main ingredients
River fish, onion, green pepper, tomato, milk, paraguayan cheese. The soup is built on fish broth with milk and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Fish and seafood soups · Tomato soups · Cheese soups · More soups from Paraguay
Recipe
Method
- 120 min
Simmer the fish heads and bones in 1.5 l water for 20 minutes and strain.
- 2
Fry the onion, pepper, tomato and garlic in the fat.
- 310 min
Add the stock and the fish in pieces and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 4
Stir in the milk and cheese and heat gently until the cheese starts to melt.
- 5
Season with oregano, parsley and salt and serve.
- ✓
Serve. About 1 h from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
