The one thing that comes to mind when I think of Salvadoran food is surely Pupusas. They are a very traditional Salvadoran dish. They are made of thick, hand-made corn tortillas that are usually filled with cheese and one or all of the following: cooked port meat, beans, loroco.
My personal favorites are the simpler ones, just cheese or cheese and beans. The cheese for the Pupusas is called Quesillo, which is soft fresh cheese. I am not sure of how it is produced, but the consistency and flavor are somewhat similar to fresh mozzarella.
They were created by the Pipil Native american tribe centuries ago, and has widespread into neighboring countries like Honduras and Guatemala. Some of them even claim that the Pupusa is theirs, but I (and 7 million Salvadorans) would assure you that they are all ours.
Pupusas are made in very many different places, but the place to go get authentic and legitimate pupusas are Pupuserías. These places are very traditional and cultural in El Salvador. Some of them are larger than others, but most of them have long wooden tables, jars with salsa (which is made out of tomato, and is thin and tasty. It is not like Mexican chunky salsa, and it is usually not spicy) for pupusas and this other thing called curtido, which is made out of cabbage and other things.
The lady that makes the Pupusas is called Pupusera, and although it may seem easy, making Pupusas is really hard. I used to think I could make them when I was little, and then my parents told me they were not very good (once I was older) haha, so no, making pupusas is not easy!!
There are various different types of pupuserías, sometimes pupusas are even sold in little kiosk-like shops in the street. To eat them, most people eat them with their hands. They are truly delicious, and nice to have at any time of the day really. Some people will even have them for breakfast!
The big jar is filled with Curtido, and the little one with salsa.
Sometimes when the pupusas are cooking, some of the cheese will leak out. It looks burnt and like it wouldn’t taste good, but it actually does!
Pupusas are also sold frozen, so you can heat them in a pan or microwave at home. They obviously don’t taste the same, but they are still pretty good. They are exported to the United States, to the many immigrants who come. I have not found them here in West Lafayette, but in Washington D.C. and St. Louis there are many places where you can find them both frozen and in restaurants.
This is the brand of frozen pupusas we buy at my house for late night Pupusa cravings 🙂
On a final note, I found this blog that talks about more and other Central American foods: http://www.uncorneredmarket.com/2009/09/best-central-america-food/
labrego91 
Posted by lucia on March 28, 2011 at 3:57 am
this post is like a travel magazine article!