A bill introduced in the Senate proposes establishing the second Sunday of September as National Sopa Paraguaya Day. The initiative was put forward by senators José Oviedo and Rubén Velázquez of the Yo Creo party and seeks to promote the dish, preserve its traditional preparation method, and expand its cultural and tourism profile.
Sopa paraguaya was recognized in 2017 as Paraguay’s Intangible Cultural Heritage by the National Secretariat of Culture. The text highlights its presence at popular festivals, family gatherings, and weddings, as well as its role as a symbol of the country’s culinary identity.
The chosen date refers to Carlos Antonio López, Paraguay’s first constitutional president, who died on September 10, 1862. According to popular tradition, the dish’s origins are linked to an episode during his government: a preparation that was initially liquid allegedly received too much corn flour and was then baked in a tatakua, the traditional clay oven. The story holds that the result pleased the president and gave rise to the recipe known today.
If approved, the bill would assign the National Secretariat of Culture, the Ministry of Education and Sciences, the National Secretariat of Tourism, and local governments to organize activities marking the date. The proposal also provides for measures to preserve artisanal corn milling and the techniques used to build and operate the tatakua.
The measure follows a similar initiative related to vori vori. The dish received its own date on April 14 after a proposal by Representative Federico “Fredy” Franco. The choice was linked to the international recognition the recipe received in Taste Atlas rankings. The date initially proposed was August 22, but the Senate changed it because it coincided with Folklore Day.
The sopa paraguaya bill must still go through Congress before any possible enactment. Until then, the second Sunday of September remains only the date advocated by the initiative’s authors, rather than an officially established national celebration.