Cuisine of El Salvador

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Preparation techniques and cooking items

This article is part of the Cuisine series
Techniques - Utensils Weights and measures
Ingredients and types of food
Spices and Herbs Sauces - Soups - Desserts Cheese - Pasta - Bread - Tea Other ingredients
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See also:
Famous chefs - Kitchens - Meals Wikibooks: Cookbook

Traditional Salvadoran cuisine combines the foods of Spain and the American Indians, especially the relatives of the Maya, Lenca, and Pipil natives.

Many of the dishes are made with maize.

Pupusas (tiny stuffed tortillas filled with beans, cheese or pork meat) are the most popular traditional dish (and are the most Salvadoran of any food) and are sold at restaurants and foodstands all over the country. The pupusa is to El Salvador as the Hamburger is to the United States. Because of the hearty world influence, many different ethnic restaurants including French, Chinese, and Italian restaurants pepper the country, especially in the big cities like San Salvador. For breakfast, Salvadorans usually eat platos típicos (typical plates), which commonly include eggs, rice, beans, cheese, fried plantains, and a cup of Salvadoran coffee. Huevos picados are scrambled eggs mixed with vegetables.

1 Soups and Salad
2 Dessert
3 Beverages
- 3.1 Alchoholic Beverages
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Soups and Salad

Soups are very common in El Salvador, consumed widely from the lower to upper class. The most popular between both locals and visitors is mariscada, a seafood soup that usually has fish, shrimp, and sometimes lobster. Sopa de pata is a soup made from livestock's feet and sometimes tripe, which is a local delicacy. Gallo en chicha is a soup made with rooster in fermented corn liquid, flavored with raisins and sometimes other things. Salads are not common here (usually because of poor water quality, the water sticks to vegetables, especially lettuce) and usually, an "ensalada" means a fruit beverage (see Beverages section).

[edit] Dessert

Salvadoran dessert usually consists of Dulce de Leche, a caramel candy with milk. The dulce de leche of El Salvador has a soft, crumbly texture, different to what most Americans are familiar with. It is almost crystallized in form. Fruits are widely consumed and the most popular are mangoes, papayas and bananas.

Coconuts are also available throughout the country at roadside stands. Typically, they are chopped with machetes and a straw is inserted so that the coconut milk can be consumed. For adults, this drink mixed with vodka is a popular apertif.

[edit] Beverages

Teenagers usually drink western gaseosas or sodas (soft drinks) like Coca-cola, while young and old alike drink coffee, El Salvador's top export. Minutas, slushy drinks flavored with honey, and horchatas, rice-pudding like smoothies flavored with cinnamon, are popular throughout the country and enjoyed on a hot day. Licuados are like the former, but fresh fruit and sometimes milk are added. Unlike in most Latin American countries, refrescos in El Salvador usually refer to Lemonade or other sweetened fruit drinks. Other drinks include Chicha, Shuco and Chilate. Another popular beverage is Ensalada (salad), made of pineapple and orange juice with finely chopped fruits, usually apples, marañon, mamey, and watercrest. Tamarind juice is consumed in Quezaltepeque.