Pupusas

By Ellie Ochoa, EmJ Remer, and Anonymous

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 cups of corn flour
• 2 cups of water

Bean Filling

• Onion
• 1/3 cup of oil
• 2 cans of pinto or red beans
• (optional) salt, pepper, and cumin

Directions

Dough

1. Mix flour with ½ cup water at a time until a dough ball forms and does not stick to you hand
2. Oil your hands before handling dough
3. Stretch and flatten the dough

Bean filling

1. Sauté half an onion with oil and salt until almost translucent
2. Add beans then mash and refry them with salt, pepper and cumin to taste
3. Add water if needed
4. Making the Pupusas
5. Oil both hands
6. Place a tennis ball size dough ball in the palm of your hand
7. Roll pupusa into ball then flatten ball between your hands
8. Place a spoonful of filling and pitch together
9. Cook on non-stick pan with a thin layer of oil
10. Wait for the pan to heat up before cooking one side until golden brown
11. Then flip to the other side and cook until golden

Introduction

Culture is something we see, experience, and participate in everyday yet often do not consider while doing so. There are many aspects that make up a culture, but what can be easily seen every day, and every person participates in regularly, is food culture. Food culture involves what is used as food, preparation and cooking methods, table manners, along with many other smaller aspects of meals. Food culture is specific to each person reflecting the environment they have grown up in deeply enriched with emotion and connection. The recipe above is a brief look into El Salvador’s food culture. This recipe is instructions on how to make vegan pupusas. In a textbook written by Nelson Morales Vasquez dedicated to pupusas it claims that “In El Salvador, it is not surprising to go out of your house and, after walking just a couple of blocks, find a pupuseria -place where Pupusas are sold-, then walk a couple of more blocks and find another pupuseria” (Morales Vasquez). The textbook states this early on to emphasis how important pupusas are to El Salvador as a culture and society. The rest of this paper is written to give context about the food culture of this country for the reader to enjoy and understand while cooking.

Geography

When considering El Salvador’s geography, several key points emerge. The densely packed population, the impact of volcanoes on the country, and how its location in relation to other countries has historically and recently affected this republic. Firstly, according to Christopher M. White, “El Salvador is the smallest, most densely populated country on mainland Latin America” (1). Having such a large population in relation to size has had an immense influence on El Salvador. When there are so many people in a small area, such as El Salvador, the lack of resources is inevitable. A reason for this is that, over time, the integrity of the land has deteriorated due to human habitation (White 1). White notes that this looks like an “abundance of overstressed soil” (1), which makes it difficult to grow crops to feed and support this large population. The integrity of the land leads to the next concern, the volcanoes. There are over 20 volcanoes in El Salvador, and most of them are located in one area in the southern part of the country (White 1 and 5). Due to the tropical nature of the area, El Salvador has two main seasons: wet and dry. The main agricultural activities occur during the dry season, which spans from November to April (White 3-4). During this season, many Salvadorians rely on the employment of agriculture, and the main crops harvested are “coffee, sugar, rice, corn, beans, oilseed, cotton, and sorghum” (White 4). Lastly, El Salvador shares borders with Guatemala and Honduras, and the rest of its borders are shared with the Pacific Ocean (White 3). The sharing of borders has caused significant friction between the countries, to the extent that a war broke out in 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras over the possession of the border (White 3). Overall, geography is one of the most important subjects when analyzing the culture, history, and state of El Salvador.  

Personal Story and National Pupusa Day

For many Salvadorians, eating, making, and sharing pupusas is a part of their identity. In an interview with Mariale C. Sobalvarro, she notes this importance, saying, “For me, pupusas have always meant community and family. While sometimes they were a quick and affordable dinner option when we didn’t feel like cooking, they were more often than not a way to get together.” Additionally, she talks about the struggle she faced when moving to the United States and trying to continue this tradition of community building, saying,

            Learning how to make them was its own challenge, especially living in a state/city with low Salvadoran population. But we took on this challenge proudly, remembering my grandma’s teachings and using our process as a bonding moment with friends and family. Even eating the worst and most misshapen pupusas you’ve ever had is better when you’re with friends.  And even when not everyone is from El Salvador, pupusas have been a way to share my culture with the people I care about. I used to just make them for anyone expecting everyone to enjoy them as much as I do, but I quickly learned that was not the case. I began to get more selective about who I make them for- because they take a lot of effort, and because I won’t let someone’s rejection ruin that sense of community for me. Now I have a story for every time I make pupusas for a new group. It sounds bad but they are things that make me chuckle and remind me that when you have the right people around you, it’s less about the quality of the food and more about having fun and eating a warm home-made meal together. (Sobalvarro)

            Pupusas are so integral to Salvadorian culture that there is a National Pupusa Day held in Olocuilta. This festival is observed in mid-November and is celebrated by many across the nation. Eddie Galdamez articulates the many ways Salvadorians celebrate on this day, saying, “Festivities include live music, dancing, and community events that showcase Salvadoran pride” (Salvadoran Pupusas). One of the most notable events is that every year, the community comes together to create the world’s largest pupusa, and they have even set their own world record (Galdamez Salvadoran Pupusas).

History

El Salvador’s history has been deeply developed by its location on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Having access to the Pacific Ocean influenced the traditional cuisine and what is typically eaten there today. With El Salvador's location and landscape, much of its early cuisine utilizes local resources such as fishing for seafood, cultivation of fruits and vegetables, along with hunting. With this country’s landscape and active volcano activity the soil is perfect for cultivation of crops. Significant food crops to the history of El Salvador are maize, beans, squash, chili peppers, tomatoes, peanuts, avocados, amaranth, and cacao. In an article focused on discussing traditional culture of El Salvador and the specific foods that were eaten it specifies that white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbits, tapirs, and peccaries were often hunted for meat. (Fowler).

What is known about El Salvador’s traditional methods of agriculture is very similar to Classical Mayan methods. They primarily used swidden agriculture, the process of cutting and burning down specific areas of land to be able to farm in the area. With this method there would be large maize fields shown using crop rotation to keep the land fertile and productive. Along with these large fields households would have individual smaller gardens focused on producing chilies, beans, squash, and other foods that are more specific to that family. To grow these crops the residents of now El Salvador fertilized the land with human waste (White, p.25).

When the Spanish arrived in El Salvador in 1524 introducing new livestock, leading to the rise of pork-based dishes and the use of dairy produces (The ultimate history of the pupusa). With El Salvador's successful agriculture system, the Spanish conquest utilized their production for gaining wealth. As a result from Spanish agricultural exploitation, specifically focused in the cacao industry, there was a “rise of indigo production and cattle ranching as primary economic activities” along with a shift to more countryside living (Fowler).

What are pupusas

A pupusa is a masa dough cake filled with either meat, beans, cheese, vegetables, or a combination of these ingredients. Served with a vinegar-based salad that contains cabbage, carrot, and onion, called a curtido. It can be seen almost as a gordita or empanada. However, the pupusa holds a special place in El Salvador, with its own national Pupusa Day, “celebrated on the second Sunday of November. The National Day of Pupusas pays tribute to one of the country’s most beloved culinary treasures” (Galdamez 2025) That dates back pre-colonization time, with the Maya and Pipil civilization having a primitive version of the dish. With the Spanish colonization, they introduced pork and dairy into their diet. (Guzman 2024) This involves being part of the community, attending street fairs, enjoying live music, and, of course, indulging in local cuisine. This isn’t the only festival connected with pupusas; in late August, the Festival de Maiz is held. It is a festival for all things corn-food related, like pupusas, tamales, Atol, and many more regional foods. Along with games, live music, and different content.

Society

Society in El Salvador has been shaped in many ways by the interconnected influences of machismo culture, violence, religion, and government. Machismo culture remains deeply rooted and influences the gender roles, contributing to persistent issues such as domestic violence and inequality. For decades, the widespread violence that is especially tied to gangs has affected the daily lives of Salvadorians. Pardilla wrote about the widespread gang violence against women in both Guatemala and El Salvador, stating, “Line in Guatemala, the lives of Salvadoran women are clouded by gangs in a continual violence. But the rates of femicide in the two countries suggested that an underlying issue exists to make violence against women acceptable.” (pg. 44) Limiting mobility, driving migration, and recent government crackdowns have significantly reduced crime while raising concerns about human rights. But El Salvador has more than its violence and machismo culture. Religion holds a special place in many Salvadorians, and it is a way to maintain a connection with their homeland when they have immigrated to a new place. Menjivar spoke about religious institutions and transnationalism, “given the increased presence of this group, and in an attempt to re-energize these immigrants’ faith, the archdiocese put out a call to other countries to send priests, this effort had historical precedence in the U.S. Catholic church’s earlier invitation to Italian priests to minister to new immigrants.” (pg. 600-601) Religion and food have remained pivotal points in maintaining connections, regardless of location. Many foods remained the same after migration. Eggs, beef, and chicken were part of the core diet of over 78% of the participants in El Salvador before migration. Intake of these foods remained high after migration, with beef and chicken, showing a small increase… It is worth noting that El Salvador had a high consumption of sugar-rich foods. (Romero-Gwynn et al. Pg. 236) keeping their traditional foods near them. Food is an essential ingredient for a thriving society, and ensuring that a society sustains itself in every place.

Bibliography

Fowler, Bill. “The Pipils of El Salvador.” Teaching Central America, www.teachingcentralamerica.org/pipils-el-salvador

Morales Vasquez, Nelson. Salvadoran food: Pupusa. St. Cloud State University, 2020.

“The Ultimate History of the Pupusa.” Pupusas.Com, https://pupusas.com/the-ultimate-history-of-the-pupusa/

White, Christopher M. The History of El Salvador. Greenwood Press, 2009.

Boland, Roy. Culture and Customs of El Salvador. ABC-CLIO, 2001. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=daa11028-f765-3d8c-83f2-8ad2e8d34897.

Lauria-Santiago, Aldo, and Leigh Binford, editors. Landscapes Of Struggle: Politics, Society, And Community In El Salvador. University of Pittsburgh Press, 2004. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjt35. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

Lemaire, Minnie E. “El Salvador.” Economic Geography, vol. 22, no. 3, 1946, pp. 193–202. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/141187. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

History of El Salvador : History of El Salvador. ABC-CLIO, 2008, http://qut.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=613047.

Galdamez, Eddie. “Salvadoran Pupusas. Tasty Food Originated in El Salvador.” El Salvador INFO, 27 Jan. 2020, elsalvadorinfo.net/salvadoran-pupusas/.

Foley, Michael W. “Laying the Groundwork: The Struggle for Civil Society in El Salvador.” Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, vol. 38, no. 1, 1996, pp. 67–104. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/166396. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

Menjívar, Cecilia. “Religious Institutions and Transnationalism: A Case Study of Catholic and Evangelical Salvadoran Immigrants.” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, vol. 12, no. 4, 1999, pp. 589–612. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20019992. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

Vasquez, Nelson Morales. "Salvadoran Food: Pupusas." (2020).