Pupusas: A savory meal for 3,000 years and counting
By hola | Published | No Comments
“To those who have never tried a pupusa, I have one thing to say: They are one of the best dishes you will ever eat.”
Fatima Arias
A Pupusa is a round tortilla made out of corn flour and filled with anything you want. Top it with curtido (cabbage with vinegar and peppers) and tomato salsa to complete the dish. To say it’s a time-tested combination is an understatement. Pupusas originated in El Salvador, where they were first eaten by the native Pipil people almost 3,000 years ago, according to archeologists.
Growing up in El Salvador, I enjoyed pupusas no matter the situation. I remember eating them for breakfast with hot chocolate. We’d have a sort of party on November 13, the official Day of the Pupusa. It’s like a festival. I love this day because pupusas have a big place in my life. Many times, I watched my grandma make the pupusas for everyone in her small kitchen that was nothing more than her “comal” and an oven made out of mud. She was always singing, she enjoyed making the pupusas so much.
I remember how I couldn’t wait for them to be ready. My favorite filling has always been beans and cheese. The cheese has that stretchiness and the beans have that tastiness. They were meant to be together.
I visited Gloria’s Pupuseria on 14th Street NW, just north of Tivoli Square in Columbia Heights. If you are looking for a restaurant where they will treat you like family, I recommend this place. The cook is really nice. She says she started making pupusas when she was seven-years-old and later had a restaurant back home in the Department of La Union in El Salvador. When we asked if she had a secret ingredient, she answered: “Las hago con mucho amor,” meaning she makes them with lots of love.
She says pupusas are popular with everyone in Washington—not just Salvadorans.
“Americanos vienen mas aqui para probar nuestros especiales, aqui hacemos quinientas pupusas diario. Washington D.C. , el negocio de pupusas es excelente.” (“Americans come here a lot to try our specialities. We make about five hundred pupusas every day. Washington is an excellent place for the pupusa business.”)
But for me, pupusas mean so much more than can be counted. My most precious memories come to me every time I tasted a pupusa. I can taste thousands of them but none compare to the ones my grandma used to make us. So I must say, if you have never tasted a pupusa, it’s one of the best foods you will ever eat!
—Fatima Arias
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