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The Salvadoran 'pupusa' (from Pipil pupusawa) is a thick, hand-made corn tortilla (made using masa de maíz, a maize flour dough used in Latin American cuisine) that is stuffed with one or more of the following: cheese (''queso'') (usually a soft Salvadoran cheese called ''Quesillo''), fried pork rind (''chicharrón''), chicken (''pollo''), refried beans (''frijoles refritos''), or ''queso con loroco'' (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America). There is also the ''pupusa revuelta'' with mixed ingredients, such as queso (cheese), chicharrón or bacon, and frijoles (beans). Some more creative pupuserías found in western El Salvador serve pupusas with exotic ingredients, such as shrimp, squash, or local herbs.

Contents

History

Variants and Cousins

National Pupusa Day

Notes

External links

History

Pupusas were first cooked and eaten by the Pipil tribes which dwelled in the territory which is now known as El Salvador almost three millennia ago. Cooking implements for their preparation have been found in Joya de Cerén, El Salvador's Pompey, site of a native village which was buried by ashes from a volcano explosion, and where foodstuffs were preserved as they were being cooked almost two thousand years ago. The instruments for their preparation have also been found in other archeological sites in El Salvador.^[1] A common Salvadorian dish, they are available outside the country wherever a community of Salvadoran immigrants is to be found. In the United States, immigrants have brought the dish to California, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Baltimore, the Chicago area, the Houston area, East Boston, Mass., New Jersey, Lexington, Nebraska, Lancaster, PA, Atlanta and other locations, where there are now many ''pupuserías'' (a place where pupusas are sold). In Canada, pupuserías may be found in Kensington Market, Southern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Montréal, Québec and in Vancouver, BC. Both at home and abroad, pupusas are now traditionally served with ''curtido'' (a pickled cabbage relish, possibly containing hot peppers) and tomato sauce, and are traditionally eaten by hand; but forks are also handy. However, a North American caught eating a pupusa with a fork in El Salvador may very likely be laughed at.

Variants and Cousins

A popular variant of the pupusa in El Salvador is the ''pupusa de arroz''. Rice flour is used to make the masa, as the name indicates, and they are usually stuffed only with chicharron ( chopped pork) and cheese. They hail from the town of Olocuilta, located to the east of San Salvador, but are now readily available throughout the country.
Pupusas made in the United States are typically made with Maseca (brand name of a popular commercial corn flour-masa mix) instead of fresh masa harina. Some high-end pupuserías in the United States use rice flour and make low-carbohydrate versions with wheat flour.
A Mexican dish that is similar to the ''pupusa'' is called a ''gordita'' (literally, "the little fat one"), but gorditas are usually open at one end. In Venezuela they make ''arepas'' (where the dough is cooked first, and then sliced in half and stuffed somewhat like a hamburger). Colombia has its own recipe of ''arepas'', but, unlike Venezuelan, Colombian arepas are usually eaten without filling, or the filling is placed inside the dough before cooking. Pupusas are also found in neighboring Central American countries as far west as Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, and are also part of Honduran cuisine. They are not as traditional as in El Salvador, yet they are a common part of Honduran dishes. Some say they were brought from El Salvador by Salvadorans migrating to Honduras; some immigrants were later forced out of Honduras, which contributed to starting the famous Football War. Honduran pupusas often use the local ''quesillo'' type of cheese for the filling.^[2]
Taco Cabana, a Texas Tex-Mex chain, created a dish called the "Pupusa" that has nothing to do with the Salvadoran dish.^[3]
In Costa Rica, pupusas are a different dish: it consists on two fried tortillas with white cheese between them.

National Pupusa Day

In El Salvador, an official holiday ''Día Nacional de la Pupusa'', "National Pupusa Day", is celebrated on November 13.

Notes

1. Fabricio Valdivieso. Las Pupusas: Un acercamiento científico a un plato tradicional salvadoreño (Pupusas: A scientific look at a traditional Salvadorian dish), Salvadorian Ministry of Foreign Relations (in Spanish)
2. Portia J. Lino.What In The World Are Pupusas?: The name may sound funny but these Honduran masa harina cakes are nothing short of delicious., August 16, 2006 (retrieved June 3, 2007)
3. Eyder Peralta. Bona fide pupusas: Classic or clueless? Here's how to tell, ''Houston Chronicle'' Dining Guide, July 27, 2006, p. 4

External links

★ Pupusa recipe

★ Curtido recipe

★ Eating the Salvadoran Way

★ Typical Salvadoran food