SanSalvador.– Not a day goes by here without a new smell flooding my mental saddlebag. I build it in and process it, especially what comes from the kitchen.
Yes, I confess I am a lover-apprentice or apprentice-lover of the culinary arts. I’ll also admit that I’m not very knowledgeable on the subject, but sometimes and given the amount of criticism I get from my wife (always to improve myself), I let loose, sorry, I guess I do exaggerate, I stick to Best intentions in front of the kitchen, and with what appears I try to present the fight.
Well, during my working and adventurous stroll through this city, I’ve discovered a good handful of dishes. Some are out of reach for those of us who stretch our wallets, but others are very economical and worth sharing their flavor with you.
I would like to tell you about the pupusa, a kind of tortilla based on corn or rice dough filled with a good amount of ingredients.
Due to its tradition and low price, it is one of the most popular foods in El Salvador. Here you can often find “pupuserías” (points of sale for pupusas). Its effect is so great that it has been declared a national dish.
What are they filled with? Wait, let me have another lunch because it’s rude to talk with your mouth full.
Here’s how it works: They were originally filled with beans or cheese. Currently available with ham, beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, chorizo or salami.
Without forgetting the touch that the loroco flower, the chipilín or nightshade leaves, the Salvadoran aromatic plants and even the ayote, a kind of gourd, give it.
Delicious, isn’t it? Please excuse me if you notice a spelling mistake. I’m just trying to suck my fingers and type on the mobile keyboard. Something I attempt with the slowness and awkwardness of a small child.
Shall we continue? The pupusa has several complementary ingredients, I now remember the tomato sauce, pickled cabbage with carrots, onions and chili sauce.
It is also appreciated by all social classes. Eating out in a Pupuseria is a social act in this country.
I would like to talk to you further, but there is not enough time for the pile of experiences that I want to record.
It’s time to move on and nothing could fill me up with energy better than… in good Cuban and so I understand “Fajarle” for another pupusa.