Pupusas

Pupusas are El Salvadorian stuffed corn cakes served with curtido and salsa roja. These pupusas with curtido are filled with melty cheese, pickled jalapeño and roasted squash, but the filling options are endless!

The dish is typically accompanied by curtido (a spicy cabbage slaw) and tomato salsa, and is traditionally eaten by hand.

El Salvador and Honduras both claim to be the birthplace of the pupusa. Salvadoran archeologist Roberto Ordóñez attributed the creation of the pupusa to the Pipil people due to the name meaning 'swollen' in the Pipil language, and the artifacts found in the Joya de Ceren which show ingredients and tools that were used to make an early version of pupusas. Honduran etymologists say that since the Pipil language is so close to the Nahuatl language, the Honduran Nahua tribe could have created the dish.

The topic of the pupusa’s origin also came up during the negotiation for the CAFTA-DR. Both nations wanted to make the pupusa an exclusive export. After two days the Honduran delegation ceded the right to El Salvador.