Salvadoran Recipes

Salvadoran food is built on corn, beans and fresh cheese, with pork, chicken and seafood from the Pacific coast. Pupusas, thick stuffed corn cakes, are the national favorite and come with curtido, a lightly pickled cabbage slaw, and a thin tomato sauce. A national Pupusa Day is celebrated every November. Indigenous corn traditions meet Spanish influence in tamales, atoles and soups, while plantain, yuca and chayote fill the stews. Seasoning is mild: onion, sweet pepper, garlic, achiote and cilantro, with loroco, an edible flower bud, adding a floral note to cheese fillings. Street food is a big part of daily eating, from fried yuca with pork cracklings to sweet plantain turnovers and meat pastelitos. Meals often end with coffee and a slice of quesadilla, a sweet cheese cake. At Christmas families make turkey sandwiches and tamales, and on the coast seafood soup is a weekend lunch.

Staple ingredients

• corn masa
• red and black beans
• quesillo and other fresh cheeses
• pork and chicken
• plantain and yuca
• chayote and cabbage
• achiote and cilantro
• loroco

• Soups 2
• Main Dishes 4
• Desserts 2
• Snacks 1
• Pickles and Preserves 1

Soups

• Mariscada (Salvadoran Creamy Seafood Soup)SV1 h 10 minMedium
• Sopa de Pata (Salvadoran Cow's Foot and Tripe Soup)SV4 h 40 minChallenging

Main Dishes

• Pupusas (Salvadoran Stuffed Corn Cakes)SV1 hMedium
• Pan con Pavo (Salvadoran Roast Turkey Sandwich)SV3 h 10 minMedium
• Tamales de Pollo (Salvadoran Chicken Tamales)SV3 h 20 minChallenging
• Yuca Frita con Chicharrón (Salvadoran Fried Cassava with Pork)SV1 h 30 minMedium

Desserts

• Empanadas de Plátano (Salvadoran Plantain Turnovers with Milk Custard)SV1 h 30 minMedium
• Quesadilla Salvadoreña (Salvadoran Sweet Cheese Cake)SV1 h 5 minEasy

Snacks

• Pastelitos de Carne (Salvadoran Fried Meat Turnovers)SV1 h 40 minMedium

Pickles and Preserves

• Curtido (Salvadoran Lightly Pickled Cabbage Slaw)SV20 minEasy