El Salvador
Alguashte
A Salvadoran seasoning of ground roasted squash or pepita seeds, salt, and spices, sprinkled on fruit and snacks.
central-america
El Salvador
Explore 36 foods connected to El Salvador, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
36 foods12 leading categories1 Essentials guides
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The local shortlist
El Salvador Essentials
8 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
Traditional foods from El Salvador.
36 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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El Salvador
Atol de Semilla de Marañón
A Salvadoran drink of toasted, ground cashew seeds blended with corn, milk, and sugar into a thick, nutty atole.
Guatemala
Atol Shuco
El Salvador's oldest drink: a hot, savory, fermented corn drink with beans, aguashte, and chili, a daily and street classic
Guatemala
Ayote en Miel
A Salvadoran sweet squash simmered in panela syrup with cinnamon and cloves, a daily and festive classic
El Salvador
Casamiento
A Salvadoran rice and beans dish, a daily and essential staple
El Salvador
Chilate
A Salvadoran hot, unsweetened toasted corn drink with ginger and allspice, served with nuegados, a daily and street classic
Honduras
Chismol
Chimol
Raw chopped tomato, onion, green pepper and coriander dressed with sour orange or lime, spooned onto grilled meat and beans.
Costa Rica
Corn Drink
Atol de elote
A Guatemalan creamy, warm corn drink with milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla
El Salvador
Curtido
A Salvadoran fermented cabbage and carrot slaw with vinegar and oregano, the essential pupusa companion
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dulce de Leche
Argentina's national sweet: a thick, creamy caramel of milk and sugar slow-cooked for hours. Eaten by the spoonful, spread on toast, or used in alfajores, cakes, and ice cream.
El Salvador
Empanadas de Plátano
Empanadas de Leche
Salvadoran sweet plantain empanadas: ripe plantain dough stuffed with sweetened beans or cream, fried until caramelized.
El Salvador
Fresco de Chan
A Salvadoran strawberry lemonade with chia seeds, a summer and street classic
El Salvador
Fresco de Tamarindo
A Salvadoran cold tamarind drink with sugar, a daily and summer classic
Guatemala
Gallo en Chicha
A Guatemalan rooster or chicken stew cooked in fermented corn chicha with spices, a festive and regional classic
Costa Rica
Grilled Meat
Carne Asada
Charcoal-grilled beef marinated with salt, garlic and lime — the celebratory asado plate of Central America, sliced thin and served with rice, beans, fried plantain, chimol and tortillas.
Honduras
Honduran Enchiladas
Enchiladas hondureñas
A flat fried tortilla stacked with seasoned ground beef, shredded cabbage, tomato sauce, grated cheese and a slice of hard-boiled egg.
El Salvador
Horchata Salvadoreña
A Salvadoran cold, creamy drink from morro seeds, sesame, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon, a daily and summer classic
El Salvador
Leche Poleada
A Salvadoran cornstarch pudding of milk, sugar, and cinnamon, thick and creamy, served warm.
El Salvador
Loroco
A Salvadoran native edible flower with distinctive flavor, used in pupusas, eggs, and dishes, a daily and essential ingredient
El Salvador
Marquezote
A Salvadoran sweet bread with panela, cinnamon, and ginger, a daily and coffee classic
Colombia
Mondongo
Sopa de mondongo
Tripe soup slow-cooked for hours with pork, corn, yuca and potato in a hogao-scented broth, served with rice, avocado, banana and arepa. In Bogotá it is the legendary "mondongo santafereño"; across Central America the same pot answers to sopa de mondongo.
El Salvador
Nuegados
A Salvadoran fried yuca and cheese fritter served in panela syrup, a daily and street classic
El Salvador
Panes con Pollo
A Salvadoran chicken sandwich with pickled vegetables, watercress, and sauce in a French roll, a festive and street classic
El Salvador
Pasteles de Maíz
A Salvadoran fried corn pastry with chicken, beef, or vegetables, a street and daily classic
El Salvador
Pupusas
Pupusa de Queso con Loroco
El Salvador's national dish: thick handmade corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, beans, chicharrón, or loroco, served with curtido and salsa roja
El Salvador
Quesadilla Salvadoreña
A Salvadoran sweet cheese cake with rice flour, Parmesan, cream, and sesame seeds, a daily and breakfast classic
Honduras
Riguas
Salvadoran griddle cakes of fresh corn and cheese, wrapped in a corn husk and griddled until golden.
Guatemala
Salpicón de Res
A Guatemalan salad of shredded beef, chopped onion, tomato, mint, and lime juice, served cool and refreshing.
El Salvador
Semita
A Salvadoran sweet jam-filled pastry with a lattice top, a daily and home classic
El Salvador
Sopa de Gallina
A Salvadoran hen soup with vegetables, yuca, and rice, a daily and home classic
Panama
Sopa de Pata
A Salvadoran hearty soup of cow's feet, tripe, yuca, cabbage, corn, plantains, and green beans, a daily and regional classic
El Salvador
Sopa de Res
A Salvadoran beef soup with vegetables, corn, yuca, and plantains, a daily and home classic
Mexico
Tamales de Elote
A Salvadoran sweet corn tamale wrapped in corn husks, a daily and seasonal classic
Nicaragua
Tamales Pisques
A Nicaraguan corn tamale with beans, wrapped in banana leaves, a Lenten and daily classic
El Salvador
Tamales Salvadoreños
Tamales
A Salvadoran corn tamale with pork or chicken, wrapped in banana leaves, a festive and daily classic
El Salvador
Yuca Frita con Chicharrón
A Salvadoran dish of fried cassava with crispy pork, curtido, and salsa, a daily and street classic