Cuisine of El Salvador
Encyclopedia
Salvadoran cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of El Salvador
. The traditional cuisine consists of food from the Maya
, Lenca, Pipil, and Spanish
peoples. Many of the dishes are made with maize
(corn).
El Salvador's most notable dish is the pupusa
, a thick hand-made corn flour or rice flour
tortilla
stuffed with cheese, chicharrón (cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency), refried beans
, and/or loroco (a vine flower bud native to Central America
). There are also vegetarian options, often with ayote (a type of squash), or garlic. Some adventurous restaurants even offer pupusas stuffed with shrimp or spinach.
Two other typical Salvadoran dishes are yuca frita and panes rellenos. Yuca frita, which is deep fried cassava
root served with curtido (a pickled cabbage, onion and carrot topping) and pork rinds with pescaditas (fried baby sardines). The Yuca is sometimes served boiled instead of fried. Panes Rellenos ("Stuffed Bread") are warm submarines sandwiches. The turkey or chicken is marinated and then roasted with Pipil spices and handpulled. This sandwich is traditionally served with turkey
or chicken
, tomato
, and watercress
along with cucumber
, onion
, lettuce
, mayonnaise
, and mustard
.
Soups are popular among Salvadorans of every social level. Sopa de pata
is a soup made from the tripes of a cow, plantain, corn, tomatoes, cabbage and spices, locally a delicacy. Gallo en chicha is a soup made with rooster, corn, and dulce de tapa and sometimes other things.
similar to a hoagie. The turkey is marinated and then roasted with Pipil spices and hand-pulled. This sandwich is traditionally served with tomato, and watercress.
, torta de yema, marquezote, salpores, poleada (vanilla custard
), arroz en leche (rice pudding
), atol de elote, atol de piña, empanadas de platano (plantain patties) and many others. The dulce de leche
of El Salvador has a soft, crumbly texture, with an almost crystallized form. Fruits are widely consumed, the more popular being mango
es, papaya
s and banana
s. Sometimes they enjoy fruit with ice cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top.
, while young and old alike drink coffee
, El Salvador's top export. A very popular soda that originated in El Salvador is Kolachampan, which is a soda with sugar cane flavor. Minutas, slushy frozen drinks flavored with natural flavored syrup, and horchata
, mix of spices such as cinnamon, peanuts, ajonjolí (sesame seed) and morro, are popular throughout the country and enjoyed on a hot day. Licuados are like the minutas with added fresh fruit and (sometimes) milk. Refrescos refer to lemonade
or other sweetened fruit drinks. Other drinks include Arrayán
, Shuco and Chilate. Another popular beverage is Ensalada (salad), made of pineapple juice with finely chopped fruits, usually apples, marañón, mamey, and watercress. Tamarindo juice is consumed in all of El Salvador. Coconuts are sold at roadside estansas throughout the country. Typically, they are chopped with machetes and a straw is inserted so that the coconut water can be consumed. Adults drink coconut milk, mixed with vodka, as an aperitif.
. Suprema is considered the premier local brew. Both and other popular beers are made by Industrias La Constancia.
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. The traditional cuisine consists of food from the Maya
Maya peoples
The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...
, Lenca, Pipil, and Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
peoples. Many of the dishes are made with maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
(corn).
El Salvador's most notable dish is the pupusa
Pupusa
A pupusa is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of thick, hand-made corn tortilla that is usually filled with a blend of the following: cheese , cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency...
, a thick hand-made corn flour or rice flour
Rice flour
Rice flour is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye....
tortilla
Tortilla
In Mexico and Central America, a tortilla is a type of thin, unleavened flat bread, made from finely ground maize...
stuffed with cheese, chicharrón (cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency), refried beans
Refried beans
Refried beans is a dish of cooked and mashed beans and is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, although each cuisine has a somewhat different approach when making the dish.-Ingredients and preparation:...
, and/or loroco (a vine flower bud native to Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
). There are also vegetarian options, often with ayote (a type of squash), or garlic. Some adventurous restaurants even offer pupusas stuffed with shrimp or spinach.
Two other typical Salvadoran dishes are yuca frita and panes rellenos. Yuca frita, which is deep fried cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
root served with curtido (a pickled cabbage, onion and carrot topping) and pork rinds with pescaditas (fried baby sardines). The Yuca is sometimes served boiled instead of fried. Panes Rellenos ("Stuffed Bread") are warm submarines sandwiches. The turkey or chicken is marinated and then roasted with Pipil spices and handpulled. This sandwich is traditionally served with turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
or chicken
Chicken (food)
Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world, and is prepared as food in a wide variety of ways, varying by region and culture.- History :...
, tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
, and watercress
Watercress
Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings...
along with cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
, onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
, lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
, and mustard
Mustard (condiment)
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
.
Soups and salad
Sopa de pata
Sopa de pata is a hearty Salvadoran soup made from cow’s feet, tripe, yuca , chayotes, sweet corn), bananas, and green beans. It may be seasoned with Mexican coriander leaves and flavored to taste with lemon or chile powder....
is a soup made from the tripes of a cow, plantain, corn, tomatoes, cabbage and spices, locally a delicacy. Gallo en chicha is a soup made with rooster, corn, and dulce de tapa and sometimes other things.
Pan con pavo
Pan con pavo (bread with turkey) is a warm turkey submarine sandwichSubmarine sandwich
A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub among other names, is a sandwich that consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread, split lengthwise either into two pieces or opened in a "V" on one side, and filled with various varieties of meat, cheese, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. The...
similar to a hoagie. The turkey is marinated and then roasted with Pipil spices and hand-pulled. This sandwich is traditionally served with tomato, and watercress.
Dessert
Salvadorean desserts include pan dulce, semita, Salvadorean-style quesadillaQuesadilla
A quesadilla is a flour or corn tortilla filled with a savoury mixture containing cheese and other ingredients, then folded in half to form a half-moon shape. This dish originated in Mexico, and the name is derived from the Spanish word queso ....
, torta de yema, marquezote, salpores, poleada (vanilla custard
Custard
Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce , to a thick pastry cream used to fill éclairs. The most common custards are used as...
), arroz en leche (rice pudding
Rice pudding
Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and sometimes other ingredients such as cinnamon and raisins. Different variants are used for either desserts or dinners. When used as a dessert, it is commonly combined with a sweetener such as sugar.-Rice pudding around the world:Rice...
), atol de elote, atol de piña, empanadas de platano (plantain patties) and many others. The dulce de leche
Dulce de leche
Dulce de leche is a thick,creamy, caramel-like milk-based sauce or spread.Literally translated, dulce de leche means "sweet from milk". It is prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a product that derives its taste from caramelised sugar. It is a popular sweet in Latin America, where...
of El Salvador has a soft, crumbly texture, with an almost crystallized form. Fruits are widely consumed, the more popular being mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
es, papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
s and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s. Sometimes they enjoy fruit with ice cream and cinnamon sprinkled on top.
Beverages
Teenagers usually drink gaseosas or sodas (soft drinks) like Coca-colaCoca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
, while young and old alike drink coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, El Salvador's top export. A very popular soda that originated in El Salvador is Kolachampan, which is a soda with sugar cane flavor. Minutas, slushy frozen drinks flavored with natural flavored syrup, and horchata
Horchata
Horchata or orxata is the name of several kinds of traditional beverage, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, or tigernuts .-Etymology:...
, mix of spices such as cinnamon, peanuts, ajonjolí (sesame seed) and morro, are popular throughout the country and enjoyed on a hot day. Licuados are like the minutas with added fresh fruit and (sometimes) milk. Refrescos refer to lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
or other sweetened fruit drinks. Other drinks include Arrayán
Arrayán
-Plants:* In Spain, it refers to the Myrtaceae shrub Myrtus communis * In Argentina and Chile, it refers to the Myrtaceae shrub Luma apiculata * In Colombia, it refers to the Vochysiaceae tree Qualea ingens...
, Shuco and Chilate. Another popular beverage is Ensalada (salad), made of pineapple juice with finely chopped fruits, usually apples, marañón, mamey, and watercress. Tamarindo juice is consumed in all of El Salvador. Coconuts are sold at roadside estansas throughout the country. Typically, they are chopped with machetes and a straw is inserted so that the coconut water can be consumed. Adults drink coconut milk, mixed with vodka, as an aperitif.
Alcoholic beverages
The most common alcoholic beverage is beer (cerveza); in El Salvador the most popular brand name is PilsenerPilsener
Pilsner is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the city of Pilsen , Bohemia, in today's Czech Republic, where it has been developed since 1842, when a bottom-fermented beer was first produced. The original Pilsner Urquell beer is produced there today.-Origin:Until the mid-1840s, most ...
. Suprema is considered the premier local brew. Both and other popular beers are made by Industrias La Constancia.
See also
- Pupusas
- ChichaChichaFor the musical genre, see Peruvian cumbiaChicha is a term used in some regions of Latin America for several varieties of fermented and non-fermented beverages, rather often to those derived from maize and similar non-alcoholic beverages...
- Chuco
- Chilate
- Tamales
- HorchataHorchataHorchata or orxata is the name of several kinds of traditional beverage, made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley, or tigernuts .-Etymology:...
- EmpanadaEmpanadaAn empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Latin America, Southern Europe and parts of Southeast Asia. The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanada is made by folding a dough or bread patty around the stuffing...
- AlguashteAlguashteAlguashte is a seasoning typical of Salvadoran cuisine made from ground pepitas, and is used on both sweet or savoury meals. Simple to make; it is often prepared at home, however it can also be purchased pre-packaged as well as from street vendors often as an addition to a meal or snack...