Pira caldo is a fish soup that is part of the traditional cuisine of Paraguay

Paraguay

Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...

. The Guarani

Guaraní language

Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...

 word Pira means "fish".

History

The soup is very high in calorie content and in protein. This has its origins in the circumstances after the War of the Triple Alliance

War of the Triple Alliance

The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...

 (1864 to 1870). The war made food scarce, so daily meals were limited, and had to be calorie and nutrient dense.

Margarita Miro Ibars, a scholar of Paraguayan culinary anthropology, says "… all Guarani groups were major consumers of fish and prepared fish meal. Fish was the basic food protein, along with game hens similar to those of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

and abundant game animals… "

Ingredients

Traditionally the fish used for pira caldo are mainly smaller river fish such as the mandi'y and tare'y, from the armoured catfish family. Other ingredients include fat, onion, tomatoes, green or red bell peppers, parsley, pepper, spices, and salt.

Preparation

The pira caldo as most popularly prepared begins with frying the vegetables in a little beef or pork fat. Then boiled water and the fish are added with salt and spices. When the fish is cooked and the soup is thick, some choped chili pepper is added.

As pira caldo is a widespread dish, there are a number of variations. One of them which constitutes a rich source of protein is prepared by running the cooked fish through a small mill. This method of preparation avoids the problem of small children choking on the bones.