MapMuse - Locate Where to find Pupusas, Pupuserias Near You

...(loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America). There is also the pupusa revuelta with mixed ingredients, such as queso (cheese), chicharrón or bacon, and frijoles (beans). Some more creative pupuserías found in western El Salvador serve pupusas with exotic ingredients, such as shrimp, squash, or local herbs.

History

History

Pupusas were first cooked and eaten by the Pipil tribes which dwelled in the territory which is now known as El Salvador almost three millennia ago. Cooking implements for their preparation have been found in Joya de Cerén, El Salvador's Pompey, site of a native village which was buried by ashes from a volcano explosion, and where foodstuffs were preserved as they were being cooked almost two thousand years ago. The instruments for their preparation have also been found in other archeological sites in El Salvador.

In the late 1950's, pupusas were still not widespread across El Salvador, and were mostly localized in the central towns and cities of the country. As the population started to migrate to other areas, pupusas stands started to proliferate in the 1960's across the country and in the neighboring areas of Honduras and Guatemala, sometimes with variations in shape, size or filling. In Guatemala during the 1970's, pupusas had a half-moon shape, in the Chalatenango area, it was not uncommon to find fish pupusas, and their diameter was considerably bigger East of the Lempa river.

In the 1980's, a civil war forced a Salvadoran migration to the United States, Canada, Sweden, Australia and other countries. Therefore, pupusas became available outside the country wherever a community of Salvadoran was found. In the United States, immigrants have brought the dish to California, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Baltimore, the Chicago area, the Houston area, East Boston, Mass., New Jersey, Lexington, Nebraska, Lancaster, PA, Atlanta and other locations, where there are now many pupuserías (a place where pupusas are sold). In Canada, pupuserías may be found in Kensington Market, Southern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Montréal, Québec, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Calgary, Alberta and in Vancouver, BC.

Both at home and abroad, pupusas are now traditionally served with curtido (a pickled cabbage relish, that sometimes include hot peppers) and tomato sauce, and are traditionally eaten by hand; but forks are also handy. However, it is very unlikely that a national would be caught eating pupusas with a fork in El Salvador.

There are many local folklore tales surrounding the dish. These tales often tell of diverse origins or effects of pupusas on people.