Top 15 Central American 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

Cachapa, chorreada, arepa de choclo, güirila, toquera, tortilla de choclo, and tortilla changa, are all names that describe a Latin American corn dish that can be categorized as either a pancake, tortilla, or flatbread, depending on the country. It can be made only of corn or have additional ingredients like sugar, water, milk, salt, butter, cheese, and oil. They are typically prepared by street vendors and are either fried or griddled (in Nicaragua, they’re cooked between two banana leaves!) and characterized by a sweet-savory flavor. They can be eaten plain with a beverage, wrapped around a filling, or topped like an open-faced sandwich with things like cheese, shredded pork, sour cream, and eggs. They can be eaten any time of day, but typically they're eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or a quick dinner.Expand

Salbute is a deep-fried tortilla dish with Mayan influences, originating from the Yucatán peninsula. These tortillas are typically topped with chicken, turkey, lime juice, tomatoes, lettuce, avocados, and red onions. They are also a staple food in Belize. Salbutes are traditionally prepared and consumed in the evening, when groups of friends and families go outside to have a bite. The tortillas are often served at panucherias – fast food joints which also sell tostadas and panuchos.Expand

Baleada is one of the most famous Honduran dishes consisting of a thick wheat flour tortilla filled with mashed fried beans and optionally, various other ingredients such as cheese, eggs, avocados, hot sauce, and Honduran-style sour cream known as mantequilla. It is believed that baleada originated in La Ceiba, on the northern coast. There are two theories about the origin of the name baleada: one says that it is named after the visual similarities between beans and bullets (bala in Spanish), while the other says that a tortilla-making woman was shot with several bullets, but recovered, and started to make tortillas again, so the workers used to say they are going to the baleada (the shot woman). Regardless of the correct theory, baleada is nowadays one of the most loved and inexpensive street food items in Honduras.Expand

Although tamales are usually made with maize dough, the Guatemalan version called paches uses mashed potatoes, annatto powder, allspice, and lard. These tamales are typically filled with a combination of meat, tomatoes, green onion, garlic, bell peppers, and chile peppers. When the concoction is prepared, it is then wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks and steamed until it is soft and ready for consumption. In Guatemala, paches is traditionally sold by street vendors on Thursdays, while other types of tamales made with maize dough are prepared on other days of the week. It is recommended to serve paches with lots of fresh lemon wedges.Expand

Vigorón is a popular Nicaraguan dish that is often served to unexpected guests and visitors, since it is quickly and easily prepared. It consists of boiled yucca, chopped cabbage, onions, tomatoes, chile peppers, and fried pork rinds known as chicharrones. Some Nicaraguans claim that there is no true vigoron without the addition of mimbro, a tangy fruit from the cucumber tree. The combination of these ingredients comes served in banana leaves when sold by street vendors. It is believed that vigorón was invented in Granada in 1914 by María Luisa Cisneros Lacayo, who had an interesting nickname – La Loca. According to Dr. Alejandro Barberena Pérez, she named the dish after seeing an advertisement for the eponymous medicinal tonic.Expand

This tasty stew is often referred to as the national dish of Guatemala. It shows a blend of Mayan and Spanish cultures and a taste of both. Pepián is characterized by its thick and rich consistency, and it usually contains meats such as beef, chicken, or pork, along with fruits and vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, corn, pear, and squash. The flavor is slightly bitter because of the roasted spices that are blended together, then added to the stew. It can be found in diners or bought from street food vendors, who often serve pepián with rice and corn tortillas on the side. Pepián is also very popular in Chile.Expand

Tamalitos de chipilín is a Guatemalan tamale variety made with a leafy green vegetable called chipilín, native to Mexico. This variety does not contain any meat, just chipilín leaves that are wrapped in a combination of corn flour, margarine, queso fresco, water, and salt, then wrapped again in corn husks and steamed. The dish can be consumed as it is, but it is often recommended to serve it with a bit of cream on the side. The Mexican version of the same dish has origins in the state of Chiapas.Expand

Mixtas are Guatemalan version of hot dogs, sold from numerous food carts throughout the country. What makes mixtas unique is the fact that the sausages are not placed in buns, but in tortillas. The dish is always made with fresh and inexpensive ingredients, so mixtas are usually filled with lime-dressed coleslaw, onions, diced tomatoes, guacamole, and green chiles.Expand