The cuisine is very varied, and we cannot overlook tortillas, which are eaten at any time of daily meals and can also be replaced by bread. Beans and rice are staples from which numerous variations arise.
Variety in the kitchen
Dairy products such as hard cheese or cuajada, butter, among others, are essential parts of the repertoire. For example, pacaya is breaded with corn flour, fried, and served with tomato sauce.
You cannot miss on the table the corn tamales, chicken or hen tamales, pork tamales, pisque tamales—or black bean tamales, known as ticucos— which are tamales filled with beans and cheese wrapped in banana leaves.
They are also wrapped in dried maize husks called tusas; pasteles, stuffed with beans and sometimes cheese, enchiladas, beef soup made from thigh meat, beef bone with meat and vegetables such as carrot, plantain, corn, potatoes, and squash.
Let’s not forget chicken soup, commonly enjoyed during Holy Week festivities.
A bit of the past
In ancient times, there were breads called totopostes, similar to simple maize breads. Today, they are still made, though not with the same recipe as years ago. The ingredients include corn flour, lard, margarine, salt, and molasses.
The drinks are mostly maize-based atoles, such as chilate, corn atol, shuco atol, and chicha—a fermented maize beverage stored in jars buried underground for several weeks. Depending on the fermentation time, chicha can be a sweet refreshment or a high-alcohol drink.
Nowadays, other methods are used that preserve the recipe, flavor, and texture.
Chocolate
Chocolate is the most common drink, once known as the "drink of the gods." It remains very popular, served hot or cold.
Another traditional beverage is horchata, one of the favorites among Salvadorans. It has a liquid consistency and milky color, made from morro seed, cacao, cinnamon, and sesame.
Sweets
Let's talk about desserts: Salvador has its delicious and emblematic torrejitas, another unavoidable traditional dish. These are prepared with yema cake, cinnamon, and sugar. Among other treats are banana empanadas, fried or boiled cassava with pepescas or pork snack, enchiladas, green plantain tostadas, and sweet delights like jocote, mango, sweet potato, and squash preserved in sweet molasses.
Other Salvadoran desserts include sweet bread, semita, quesadilla, yema cake, marquesote, spit cakes, milk pudding, and rice pudding, among others.
Traditional candied yams still feature colorful stripes, highlighting the characteristics of local artisans. Today, artisanal sweets continue to be a cultural tradition.
An important culinary note is the use of the Izote flower, which is El Salvador’s National Flower. It is edible; some people eat it with eggs or add it to soups, making it part of Salvadoran cuisine.
