Kamby Arro

Kamby Arro (Guaraní for "milk rice") is the Paraguayan version of the rice pudding that turns up across most of the Spanish-speaking world, but in Paraguay it is distinguished by the use of whole milk, often enriched with a splash of coconut milk or condensed milk for extra body, and by a long, patient simmer on a low flame until the rice is swollen and the milk reduced to a soft, pale cream. Sugar is added only near the end so the rice does not toughen, the pot is flavoured with cinnamon stick, lemon or orange peel, and a vanilla pod, and the finished pudding is poured into small glasses or shallow bowls to cool, then dusted with ground cinnamon and a few drops of milk caramel.

It is most strongly associated with Paraguayan family gatherings, school anniversaries, patron-saint feasts in the Central and Cordillera departments, and the week leading up to Easter, when sweet milk dishes appear on tables across Asunción, Paraguarí, Caacupé, Caaguazú and Encarnación. It is sold by street vendors in the markets of Asunción, on the Itapúa boardwalk in Encarnación, and in the small bakeries of Caacupé, where it is usually served very cold. A savoury variant cooked in salted milk and eaten with a hard-boiled egg is also part of the Paraguayan breakfast repertoire, particularly in the Chaco region.