Food of El Salvador
Salvadoran cuisine is built on corn, beans, cheese and pork, with simple preparations that bring out the flavor of masa. Pupusas are the national dish, eaten any time of day with tangy curtido, while fresh seafood and tropical fruit shine on the coast. Flavors are mild and comforting.
- Main dishes (7)
- Breakfast (3)
- Street food (4)
- Soups (2)
- Salads (2)
- Desserts and sweets (4)
- Drinks (4)
- Fruits and produce (6)
Staples
- corn
- beans
- cheese
- pork
- rice
- plantain
- loroco
- squash
Signature flavors
- loroco
- cilantro
- cumin
- achiote
- garlic
- epazote
Main dishes
Stuffed corn tortillas with cheese or beans.
Key ingredients: masa, cheese, beans, porkFull guide →Fried cassava with crisp pork.
Key ingredients: cassava, porkChicken smothered in onions.
Key ingredients: chicken, onion, vinegar
Hearty cow-foot soup.
Key ingredients: cow foot, corn, yuca
Fried meat pastries.
Key ingredients: dough, meatFried whole fish.
Key ingredients: fish, limeGarlic shrimp.
Key ingredients: shrimp, garlicBreakfast
Eggs, beans, cream and plantains.
Key ingredients: eggs, beans, plantainRice and beans fried together.
Key ingredients: rice, beansSweet cheese cake.
Key ingredients: cheese, rice flour, sesameStreet food
Fresh corn tamales.
Key ingredients: corn, sugarFull guide →Fried cassava with pork.
Key ingredients: yuca, porkTurkey sandwiches with sauce.
Key ingredients: turkey, bread, tomatoPlantain turnovers with custard.
Key ingredients: plantain, custardSoups
Country hen soup.
Key ingredients: hen, vegetablesSeafood soup.
Key ingredients: fish, shrimp, crabSalads
Fermented cabbage slaw.
Key ingredients: cabbage, carrot, vinegarAvocado salad.
Key ingredients: avocado, tomatoDesserts and sweets
Sweet pound cake with cheese.
Key ingredients: cheese, flourFried yuca fritters in syrup.
Key ingredients: yuca, sugar syrupSweet corn pudding.
Key ingredients: corn, milkLayered jam pastry.
Key ingredients: flour, jamDrinks
Seed drink with cinnamon.
Key ingredients: morro seeds, cinnamonFull guide →Fruit punch with chopped fruit.
Key ingredients: pineapple, apple, mangoBarley drink.
Key ingredients: barley, sugarLocal mountain coffee.
Key ingredients: coffeeFruits and produce
Sweet seasonal fruit.
Tart plum-like fruit.
Cashew fruit.
Small yellow berries.
Common breakfast fruit.
Full guide →
Edible flower bud used in pupusas.
Dish guides from El Salvador
Explore El Salvador on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.More cuisines of Central America
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Pupusas El Salvador Centro America: JMRAFFi, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Sopa de pata: Mima, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cuban pastry, guava: https://www.flickr.com/photos/themarmot/, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Tamal oaxaqueño: Georgina Meneses, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Condiments for Pupusas in El Salvador 2012: Ll1324, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Horchata de chufa 2: Photocapy, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Jocote: Jorge Mejía peralta from Managua, Nicaragua, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cashew apples: Abhishek Jacob, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Byrsonima crassifolia 1: Franz Xaver, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Carica papaya - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-029: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- Guia de Loroco: JMRAFFi, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
