Many modern Paraguayans are descendants of the mixture of Spaniards and Guarani, and they keep alive aspects of traditional Guarani culture. Almost an entire country speaks their language, which can be observed with the name of the dessert Kivevé.
Kivevé, also known as Quibebé (Spanish spelling), is of Guarani origin. The name "Kivevé" comes from the Guarani term that designates a reddish color. Since the "andai," the main ingredient of the dessert, has an intense orange color, it was given the name "Kivevé" (reddish). In fact, in popular slang, the word "Kivevé" is used to identify red-haired people.
The dish "Kivevé" is an important part of Paraguay's ancestral culinary art and is highly valued. Due to the nature of its ingredients, the dish is very high in calories and proteins.
According to scholars, all popular Paraguayan gastronomic dishes were established by small farmers after the Paraguayan War, during which Paraguay fought against the Triple Alliance (Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay) between 1864 and 1870.
The foods are very high in calories due to a situation that overtook the country after the conflict. After the war, food was limited and difficult to find. Therefore, Paraguayan cuisine contains a high caloric and protein content to compensate for the loss of several meals during the day.
