Semana Santa (holy week) is full of Paraguayan tradition, the most well known and possibly most important is Wednesday, Chipa Day. Every señora, her mother and daughters get together to make kilos and kilos of chipa that is then saved to eat for the next 3-4 days.
The amount of chipa you make is measured by the number of kilos of almidon (mandioca flour) you use. The average (city dwelling señora, with 3-6 kids) will probably make about 6kilos (would be my guess). 6 kilos is only the almidon, it doesnt inculde the 30 huevos caseros, the liter of grasa (pig or cow fat), little bit of water or milk, anis and 1/4 of a cup of salt or so. So, the actual yield of chipa turns out to be even more kilos than the numbers of kilos of almidon you start with. Making chipa might be comparable to make christmas cookies in the states, except for EVERYONE does it on the same day. Imagine making 6kilos (only flour) of christmas cookies and eating them for 4 days straight. Does your stomache hurt thinking about it? Well, mine does...but its because all i have eaten for 4 days...is chipa!
The trick to making chipa is to massage it lots! Almidon changes its consistancy after it has been worked and worked and worked. So your hands can get kind of tired after a while!
This year I wanted to really get the full chipa experience, but i thought i could be clever. I invited myself to make chipa with a few of my favorite señoras, and there for wouldnt end up with 6kilos chipa all for myself. However, thanks to paraguayan generocity...i still ended up with more than my fair share. I started early with my best friend, Fany and her family. We went to the campaña (country side) where her grandmother lives and made the starting 6 kilos of chipa. Most of the pictures below are from the first chipa batch of the day...i got worn out as the day went on! We then returned to Fany´s family´s house to make an additional 3 kilos. I then returned home only to be bossed into making another 6kilos with Ña Rubia next door, and then topping off the day with a final 3kilos for the other Ña Rubia who was too sick this week to make her own chipa. Needless to say...my hands were a bit sore at the end of the day!
Inside of the tatakua (mouth of fire, brick oven). This is before it is lit and gets hot!
Los huevos caseros, home-made eggs. Chipa should only be made with home-made eggs. Any señora will tell you that if not...no va a ser rica(It will not be delicious)! So you better use eggs from a chicken near you!
Prepping the cheese! (and of course, cheese made by someone near you too)
The cheese!
Fany, mixing in the almidon (mandioca/yucca flour with the eggs, pig fat and cheese)
Fany, me, Fany´s grandma and her sister Sady! (Her mom refused to pose!)
For some reason, I couldnt flip this photo or delete it. So please turn your head to the side to see the pre-baked chipa!
Fany, queen of fire is testing the chipa to see if it is ready yet! She is uwith a long stick with a metal stabber on the end-used for poking the chipa to put it out easier.
Don Chalo, covering the door to the Tatakua (mouth of fire-name for the brick oven)
Final product! Easter bunny, a little man, butterfly and in honor of my homeland: snowman
(my shapes of course are anything but traditional!)
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