Paraguay Senate proposes National Sopa Paraguaya Day

A bill has been introduced in the Paraguayan Senate to officially designate the second Sunday of September as National Sopa Paraguaya Day. The initiative aims to revalue, promote, and protect the iconic dish, which was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Paraguay by the National Secretariat of Culture in 2017.

The chosen date coincides with the commemoration of Don Carlos Antonio López, the country’s first constitutional president, who died on September 10, 1862. According to tradition, the dish originated accidentally during his administration when a cook, unable to serve a soup that had become too thick due to excess cornmeal, baked the mixture in a pan inside a traditional clay oven (tatakua).

If passed, the law would mandate the National Secretariat of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Sciences, the National Secretariat of Tourism, and local governments to organize fairs, festivals, and gastronomic contests. The project also seeks to preserve artisanal preparation techniques, such as corn milling and the use of traditional clay ovens, to boost local tourism and the economy.