Eating customs and the gastronomy of small Jewish communities, who emigrated to other countries and continents, narrate the migratory and emotional journeys of individuals and families.
In the early 20th century, Jews from Poland and Ukraine arrived in Paraguay, and in the 1930s, Jewish immigration from Germany increased. Today, the Jewish population is about 1,000 people, mostly of German descent.
As with other cultures, Jewish culinary traditions blended with Paraguayan ones, and one manifestation of this is Vori Vori soup, inspired by a flavorful Sephardic soup, Ashkenazi with Kneidalai; prepared with vegetables such as tomatoes, peas, onions, spinach, pumpkin, and eggplants, which give it its characteristic color and flavor of Sephardic cuisine.
Jewish people add matzah balls to the soup, made from matzah flour, or traditional unleavened bread prepared with flour and water; eggs, chicken fat, salt, and pepper are also added.
This dish was adopted by the Guaraní people, who replaced the matzah balls with cornmeal balls, and when making them, they called it Voli Voli; which is now the name of this delicious soup, prepared with cornmeal balls, meat or chicken, and has become the most traditional and popular soup throughout Paraguay.
In the Paraguayan interior, there are different ways to prepare Vori Vori; for example, sometimes Paraguayan cheese is added to the cornmeal balls.
