The Salvadorean Pupusas

The pupusa is a typical dish of El Salvador, but spread throughout Central America when tens of thousands of Salvadorans were scattered throughout the region during the civil war of the 1980s. Many families settled in countries of the region, others sought refuge in the U.S. and Canada. They even went to Europe and Australia.

The first contact I had with the Salvadorean Pupusas, I had in October 2006 when I was in Los Angeles California, as part of a tour which included Palm Springs, to attend the American Convention Rena Ware. On this trip our guide and executive Rena Ware, Teresa Aviles, a native of El Salvador invited us to a restaurant to taste the rich Salvadoran pupusas, but here in Miami recently we have developed a deep friendship with Salvadoran families who on some occasions we were invited to taste them.

Fray Bernardino de Sahagun, was one of the monks who came to America in one of his writings in 1570, tells about the existence of a meal of pastry, which was mixed with meat and beans. Furthermore, a publication of the Museum David J. Guzman asserts that the pupusas were a fundamental part of the diet of pre-Columbian settlements in Ahuachapán allegedly Quiche who had emigrated from Guatemala. [] Anthropological studies conducted by Ramon Rivas locate the origin of the pupusas before the arrival of the Spanish American soil. According to Dr. Jose Manuel Bonilla, the Nahuatl language specialist and national director of spaces Concultura cultural development in El Salvador, the origin of the word "pupusas" comes from the combination of the word "pupu" (scrambled) and " tsa (bulging), which would translate "bump padding. In the early nineteenth century, James I. Barberena on page 231 of his book "Quicheismo of American folklore," wrote: [] "Pupusa mean - well connected - ... one of the main requirements for a good pupusa is that the covers are well attached, otherwise would be the stuffing.

A pupusa is a thick corn tortilla with a handmade corn flour dough that can be stuffed with cheese - cheese for Salvadorans - rinds, squash, cheese and refried beans or loroco. There is also mixed with ingredients mixed pupusas, such as cheese, beans, pork or bacon. There are two types of pupusas, corn and rice flour. "The rice flour are typical of a town called Olocuilta" which is way to the airport, so all Salvadorans to travel, go shopping pupusas on the road to get there, we have some friends in El Salvador.

The Popus is prepared by combining in a bowl, cornmeal and salt to which he is adding water slowly while kneading until you form a soft dough with the ball is made of mass, which in turn pat is to form a tortilla, or the ball makes a hole with your fingers to add 1 tablespoon of the filling selected, then closes with another previously prepared tortilla dough, or with a bit of mass into a ball, which crushing pats out with both hands, to form the pupusas. Finally it is cooked on a griddle or "griddle" hot until browned on both sides of the pupusas.

The pupusas are their National Day: according to Legislative Decree 655 of El Salvador, the second Sunday of November is celebrated as' National Day of pupusas. In the U.S., Salvadoran communities in several states have begun to pupusa festivals in September and October. They exist in Nogales (Arizona), Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Also in Ontario and Toronto, Canada.

When you see that they eat with their hands, and you. Salvadorans are known, as we were told another friend. The recipe of the week is the Pupusa Loroco Cheese, which was what I ate in Los Angeles, of course, with his hands, as in El Salvador. See you soon friends.