Food of El Salvador

One of the main things that make the beautiful country of El Salvador stand out is their food! The number one thing that you MUST try when traveling in El Salvador is the PUPUSA! Pupusas are a traditional Salvadoran dish, made up of a thick corn tortilla, stuffed with most commonly "queso con loroco" or basically anything you can think of, from frijoles to chicharron, served with curtido and tomato salsa. And the best thing about them is you don't need to use a fork! Just hands :)

A traditional breakfast in El Salvador is quite a big meal. You'll usually see it consist of huevos picados (scrambled eggs), frijoles molidos (pureed beans), platanos fritos (fried plantains), crema (sour cream), and either pan (bread), or corn tortillas.

Quesadilla Salvadoreña is one of my all time favorites. It's a kind of bread made with cheese (hence the name). I like to eat it paired with my coffee. You can usually find it in any bakery.

Horchata is a very popular drink in Central America and one of my boyfriends favorites. It is a sweet, iced beverage consisting of rice and spices like cinnamon, sesame seeds, nutmeg and vanilla. They will usually have this beverage available in most restaurants.

When I was in El Salvador I was ALWAYS offered the CHOCOBANANOS! A sweet, messy snack on a stick! They are very easy to make and are just frozen bananas dipped in a chocolate covering on a stick. I found these served in the markets or on the beach. Definitely recommend!

My favorite were the fruits, especially with all the fresh produce around and available almost anywhere walking distance for a good price. Not much is very expensive in El Salvador, especially the food and how much of it that you get, trust me you'll get a bang for your bargain! Many women sold "mango verde con alguashte" YUM! All it is, is sliced green mangos, seasoned with limon, salt, alguashte, and chile sauce if you want a little spiciness. My main question when in El Salvador was "what is alguashte?" and why do they sprinkle it on EVERYTHING? Alguashte is just ground up pumpkin seeds with a little bit of salt. If you like tart and salty snacks, I would say to give this a try!

Co Co de agua "coconut water" is sold in all markets and on the side of all main roads. It is usually poured straight from the coconut into a bag served with a straw and normally cost only a dollar. When traveling El Salvador, you have to at least try it one just for the experience.. haha!

Huevo de tortuga... bleh! Many people LOVE these.. turtle eggs! I heard they are very healthy for you, I tried one but just could not keep it down knowing what I was eating! They poke a tiny hole in the top of the egg, sprinkle some lime and Chile in it and just shoot the raw egg right in the mouth, (like a shot) I probably wouldn't try again but when in El Salvador, why not do it for the experience!? ;)

Pollo Campero the number one place to go to for chicken! America, we have KFC or Popeyes, in El Salvador they have Pollo Campero, loved by almost any local. To be honest, I find the chicken in El Salvador is more flavorful and just taste better and never dry than any fried chicken in America. When Paz and Beto visit they always bring large bags of Pollo Campero on the plane with them to bring all of us. It is literally the only fried chicken packed to-go on airplanes!

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Pupusas