🍽️ Salvadoran Gastronomy
Salvadoran cuisine is a blend of indigenous influences (Maya, Pipil) and Spanish. Simple but flavorful, it relies on corn, beans, rice and local products. Here are the 15 dishes every visitor must try!
1. 🥇 Pupusas - The National Dish
Impossible to visit El Salvador without eating pupusas! These are thick corn (or rice) tortillas stuffed and cooked on a griddle.
Popular fillings:
- Queso: Melted cheese
- Frijoles: Red beans
- Chicharrón: Minced pork paste
- Revueltas: Mix of all three (the most popular!)
- Loroco: Local edible flower with unique flavor
- Ayote: Squash (vegetarian option)
Mandatory accompaniments:
- Curtido: Fermented cabbage salad with carrots and onions in vinegar
- Salsa roja: Slightly spicy tomato sauce
Price: $0.50-1 per pupusa
Where: Pupuserías everywhere in the country, especially afternoon and evening
National Day: 2nd Sunday of November (Día Nacional de la Pupusa)
2. Yuca con Chicharrón
A classic of Salvadoran street food! Yuca (cassava) is fried or boiled and served with chicharrón (crispy pork) and curtido.
Variants:
- Yuca frita: Crispy cassava fries
- Yuca salcochada: Boiled cassava
- Sometimes served with pepesca (small fried sardines)
Best place: Chalchuapa (near Tazumal ruins) is famous for its yuca
Price: $3-5
3. Tamales Salvadoreños
Salvadoran tamales are more elaborate than in other countries. A corn dough wraps a generous filling, all steamed in banana leaves.
Typical ingredients:
- Chicken or pork
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Roasted red peppers
- Chickpeas
- Olives and capers
- Tomato sauce
Types of tamales:
- Tamales de pollo: Chicken (most common)
- Tamales pisques: Black beans
- Tamales de elote: Sweet corn
- Tamales de chipilín: With local herb
When: Holidays, family celebrations, Christmas
Price: $1-2 per tamal
4. Sopa de Pata
This cow feet soup is a traditional Sunday dish, rich and comforting. Also called "sopa de mondongo".
Ingredients:
- Cow feet and tripe
- Yuca (cassava)
- Corn
- Chayote (güisquil)
- Cabbage, green beans
- Plantain (sometimes)
- Achiote (red-orange color)
- Oregano, cilantro, lime
Specialty: Considered an excellent hangover cure!
Where: Mercado La Tiendona (San Salvador), local restaurants (often only certain days)
Price: $5-8
5. Sopa de Res
The classic beef soup, served at lunch in markets and popular comedores.
Ingredients:
- Beef pieces with bone
- Corn on the cob
- Carrots, chayote, yuca
- Cabbage, zucchini
- Plantain
- Rich herbed broth
When: Lunch dish (almuerzo)
Price: $4-6
6. Sopa de Gallina India
Traditional soup made with Creole hen (free-range), more flavorful than industrial chicken.
Ingredients:
- Whole hen
- Potatoes, carrots
- Chayote, pipian
- Corn
- Mint, cilantro
Occasion: Sunday family meal
Price: $6-10
7. Panes con Pollo / Pavo
The Salvadoran sandwich par excellence! French bread stuffed with shredded chicken or turkey marinated in Pipil spices.
Toppings:
- Roasted and shredded chicken or turkey
- Tomato sauce
- Watercress
- Cucumber, cabbage
Famous variant: Pan Migueleño from San Miguel (with turkey)
When: Christmas (Panes con Pavo), year-round for chicken
Price: $2-4
8. Pastelitos
Small fried turnovers in half-moon shape, made of corn dough colored with achiote.
Fillings:
- Ground meat
- Chicken
- Vegetables
- Potatoes
Served: With tomato sauce and cabbage salad
Where: Markets, festivals, street food
Price: $0.50-1
9. Mariscada
Generous seafood soup, popular on the Pacific coast.
Possible ingredients:
- Fish
- Shrimp
- Squid
- Crab
- Clams
- Lobster
- Octopus
Versions: Clear broth or creamy (with Salvadoran cream)
Garnish: Cilantro, chives, lime
Where: Beaches (La Libertad, Los Cóbanos, Costa del Sol)
Price: $8-15
10. Carne Asada
Wood-grilled beef, served with chimol (fresh Salvadoran salsa).
Typical accompaniments:
- Rice
- Fried beans (frijoles)
- Tortillas
- Chimol (tomato, onion, cilantro, lime)
- Avocado
- Fried plantains
Price: $8-15
11. Elote Loco
The "crazy corn"! Grilled corn on the cob on a stick, topped with various sauces.
Toppings:
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Grated cheese
- Salsa inglesa (Worcestershire sauce)
Where: Street food everywhere, festivals, parks
Price: $1-2
12. Empanadas de Plátano
Sweet fritters made of ripe plantain, filled and rolled in sugar.
Fillings:
- De leche: Vanilla custard (most popular)
- De frijol: Sweetened beans
Texture: Crispy outside, melting inside
When: Dessert or snack, with coffee
Price: $0.50-1
13. Quesadilla Salvadoreña
Warning, this is NOT a Mexican quesadilla! It is a cheese cake, dense and sweet-salty.
Ingredients:
- Fresh cheese (queso fresco)
- Rice flour
- Milk, eggs, butter
- Sesame seeds on top
Flavor: Slightly salty from cheese + sweet = unique!
When: With coffee, snack time
Where: Bakeries, street stands, restaurants
Price: $1-3 per slice
14. Riguas
Fresh corn cakes wrapped in corn leaves and cooked on the comal (griddle).
Characteristics:
- Made with tender corn (elote)
- Soft and slightly sweet texture
- Sometimes with cheese or cream
Where: Popular on the coast and at Ruta de las Flores
Price: $0.50-1
15. Nuégados con Chilate
Traditional dessert: yuca or corn fritters served with honey, accompanied by chilate (hot corn drink).
Nuégados:
- Fried dough balls
- Drizzled with panela honey (cane sugar)
Chilate:
- Hot corn-based drink
- Flavored with ginger, allspice
- Sweetened with panela
When: Traditional snack
Price: $2-3 for the combo
🍹 Drinks Not to Miss
Salvadoran Horchata
Different from the Mexican version! Made with morro (jícaro) seeds, rice, sesame, cinnamon and nutmeg. Refreshing and nutritious.
Atol de elote
Hot and thick drink made from fresh corn, milk, sugar and cinnamon. Comforting!
Atol shuco
Fermented version served with beans and pepita. Traditional breakfast.
Salvadoran Coffee
El Salvador produces excellent high-altitude coffee. Enjoy it everywhere!
Kolashampan
Local soda with sugarcane flavor. Very popular!
📍 Where to Eat?
Local Markets
- Mercado Central (San Salvador): Authentic experience
- Mercado La Tiendona: Famous sopa de pata
- Ruta de las Flores markets: Local specialties
Pupuserías
They are everywhere! The best are often the simplest, family-run.
Comedores
Small family restaurants with daily menu (almuerzo) for $3-5.
Beaches
For seafood: La Libertad, Los Cóbanos, El Tunco.
💡 Tips
- Eat with your hands: Pupusas are eaten without utensils!
- Try loroco: Flower with unique taste, emblem of El Salvador
- Ask for "poco picante": If you do not like it too spicy
- Salvadoran breakfast: Beans, cream, cheese, plantains, eggs, tortillas
- Budget: You can eat very well for $5-10 per meal