Pupusas!

Pupusa in the Uto-Aztecan Nawat language means “to stuff,” or “to puff up.”

I just got back from Guatemala and El Salvador, feeling recharged and full of new food inspiration. El Salvador is a lovely, vibrant country. The trip was about surfing, sunshine, and slowing down. The waves were on the “smaller” side, around 3 feet. It’s a point break; they always go right, and I’m goofy, so it was a bit of a challenge. I learned some things, built up my paddling arms, and connected with the beautiful, warm sea.

Salvadorians are incredibly kind, greeting you with a smile. In this area, most speak their native language, but we had Google Translate and enough awkward Spanish and restaurant words to make it by.

We stayed in El Sunzal, a sleepy surf town, a 10-minute beach walk to the more touristy El Tunco. In El Tunco, you’ll find little shops, smoothies, coffee spots, and restaurants. Some restaurants were a little American in style, and there was even an Asian fusion place serving bao buns.

I quickly learned pupusas were what I was looking for—the beloved national food of El Salvador. We finally found them a couple of days in and ate pupusas every day until it was time to hop on the plane to Guatemala.

Pupusas are thick, handmade corn or rice tortillas “cakes” stuffed with savory fillings like cheese, beans,  pork, or chicharrón. They’re traditionally served with curtido, a tangy, pickled cabbage relish, and a sweet tomato salsa. This food dates back more than 2,000 years to the Indigenous Pipil people of the region. Simple food, rich history, and absolutely worth finding and tasting.

The best place for pupusas in El Tunco was a very small shop with one table inside. The whole family took part in the cooking and preparation. They’ll give you a stool to sit on the narrow curb while you wait for the fresh pupusas to be prepared. Out of a big bucket, a handful of the tortilla mixture gets flattened and then cupped in the hand. The cheese, beans, or other filling is added in the center cup. It’s then lightly covered and pressed down again. There was a flat cooking griddle where the mother fried them up on a barely greased surface. The sauces are put in thin, little plastic bags.

We tried many Pupusas from different joints, but this spot is the best. What made them more delicious was the special pickled cabbage mixture (curtido). I’m not sure of all the ingredients, but it had the perfect amount of spice, tang, salt, and liquid to pour over the warm cheesy pupusa. At other pupuserias, the cabbage mixture didn’t compare.

This spot didn’t have a restaurant name on the rugged, cement wall. If you find yourself in El Sunzal, go past the small riverway, make your first left into the ciudad of El Tunco, keep walking straight until you see a Japanese restaurant called Japan Food Tunco Beach (address: Playa, La Libertad, El Salvador). The best pupusa spot is next to that on your left.

I won’t be back to Central America anytime soon, who knows the tastiest Pupusa spots in Queens? Let’s go!

For more food discovery,  follow me on Instagram: @theglorifiedtomato.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org