Top 3 Salvadoran Street Food

Pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador, a thick, stuffed, skillet-cooked corn tortilla, traditionally served with a side of tomato salsa and coleslaw. Pupusas are almost always handmade, sold at numerous street corners in the country and eaten by hand. A fundamental food of Salvadorian cuisine, the dish also has its day - the second Sunday in November, or National Pupusas Day, stressing the importance of this beloved street food, when pupusa-eating contests take place on the streets of El Salvador. It was created by a tribe of native Salvadorans called the Pipil or Cuzcatlecs, but it wasn't until the 1900s that pupusas became popular in El Salvador, and eventually, in the rest of the world. The corn flour tortillas, which are well cooked when dark spots appear on each side, are usually filled with cheese, fried beans, and chicharrónes, although there are other combinations filled with chicken, pork, or shrimps. Pupusas can often be found at tiny restaurants called pupuserias. After the meal, hot chocolate is the most common accompaniment to this flavourful dish.Expand

Pupusa de queso con loroco is a variety of Salvadoran cheese pupusa, a thick corn tortilla that oozes with a mixture of gooey cheese and finely chopped loroco flower buds. The most traditional type of cheese used for the filling is quesillo, a kind of semi-soft white cheese, but other types of cheese may also be used. Some of the most commonly used optional cheese varieties include queso fresco, mozzarella, farmer’s cheese, or Monterey Jack. The other key ingredient to the filling is loroco, the edible green buds of Fernaldia pandurata, a flowering vine that thrives throughout Central America. Loroco flower buds may be used fresh, frozen, or pickled, and they impart a unique aroma and flavor to the pupusas. Once stuffed, the corn tortillas are usually cooked in a skillet or griddle until they’re golden brown with dark spots on both sides. Like other types of pupusas, these cheese pupusas are traditionally accompanied by tomato salsa (salsa roja), pickled cabbage slaw (curtido), and chili sauce on the side. In El Salvador, pupusas are usually enjoyed for breakfast or dinner, although they are also a popular street snack.Expand

This variety of tamales comes from El Salvador, but it is also popular in Honduras. Tamales pisques are made with seasoned corn masa that is mixed with refried beans, and the combination is then neatly wrapped in plantain leaves. The tamales are then steamed, and the dish is ready for consumption after it has cooled down a bit. It is recommended to serve tamales pisques with tomato sauce or curtido – a fermented cabbage relish that is a staple of Salvadoran cuisine.Expand