How to Make Pupusas: El Salvador’s National Dish

Pupusas are El Salvador’s national food treasure and so loved, they even have their own national holiday every second Sunday in November. And because, like so many of you, we love pupusas here at Familia Kitchen, we asked one of our favorite Salvadorean homecooks, Estela Medrano Benitez, to show us how to make her favorite pupusas de queso. (We also love arepas, gorditas and empanadas, btw). Watch her step-by-step how to in this video, which is in Spanish. If you don’t speak español, no problem! You can find Estela’s cheese pupusa ingredients and directions here, translated in English.

Pupusas are tortilla-like flat discs made with masa harina, stuffed with one’s choice of fillings (Estela’s family loves plain-cheese best), and then cooked on a hot griddle, comal or cast-iron pan until pale golden brown on the outside and queso-melty on the inside. To take the sabor up a notch, pupusas are traditionally served with a side of a vinegary coleslaw like mix of cabbage, carrots and red onion called curtido and topped with a drizzle of tomato salsa with a hint of heat. The perfect mix of tart, sweet and cheesy delicioso!

Find more Salvadorean recipes from Estela here.