National Pupusa Day
National Pupusa Day
November 12 this year
The following article ran in the Centre Daily Times in 2007, after I had come back from an interesting trip to Costa Rica. We had a lot of fun experimenting with making the pupusas at home that year and it is a tradition worth honoring—before we start to observe all the other November traditions.
National Pupusa Day, or Dia Nacional de la Pupusa as it is called in El Salvador where it originated, is the second Sunday in November and celebrates a mainstay of the indigenous Pipil tribes that lived in El Salvador three millennia ago. A thick corn tortilla hand-shaped from masa harina, the hearty snack food can be filled with shredded pork, cheese, chicken, beans—or a combination of fillings. The pupusa is typically served with pickled cabbage and a spicy tomato sauce—and is a snack worthy of a day of homage.
My first encounter with a pupusa was in Costa Rica when after a day of touring we headed to Raquel’s Taqueria in Santa Barbara, Heredia, a neighborhood restaurant that was always packed with locals standing in line at the take-out counter. I was happy to have to wait because it gave me time to go and see what the women in the back of the restaurant were doing.
On a table were three bowls—a big bowl of masa dough, a bowl of shredded chicharrones (pork), and a bowl of crumbly white cheese. Angelica Guillen Mengar, the owner of the restaurant, stood with cheerful expression and with deft fingers pinched some dough, flattened it expertly in her clapping hands, then grabbed a bit of pork and somehow miraculously enclosed it in one single slapping motion. A perfectly round disk the size of her hand and about a half-inch thick emerged and hit a flat top griddle with a sizzle. When it was evenly brown on the bottom, the pupusa was flipped to brown on the other side, then slipped onto a plate, topped with cabbage salad, and drizzled with a spicy sauce for the total package.
Hispanic America has a seemingly endless repertoire of “things to make with cornmeal.” In Mexico there are delicious tamales and now common tacos and enchiladas, but also empanadas and gorditas, “little fat ones,” similar to pupusas but open on one end and stuffed after frying. In Venezuela and Colombia, arepas are popular, with different manifestations; in Venezuela, the masa dough is fried then split and stuffed; in Columbia the arepas are eaten without filling, or the filling is put into the dough before cooking.
A native Costa Rican, Angelica made the pupusa production look easy and fun. She and other members of her family who work in the business have been doing so for 14 years. With no pupuseria here in central PA, if you want to celebrate, you have to make them yourself. Masa harina is easy to come by in the ethnic aisles of local groceries, and the choice of filling is personal. I used some crumbly homemade goat cheese and some hot Italian sausage cooked with minced onions and then thoroughly dusted with ground cumin. November is the kickoff month of the belt-widening holiday season and, for variety’s sake, National Pupusa Day is a fine place to start.
Pupusas (Salvadoran filled flatbreads)
Makes 8 pupusas
2 cups masa harina (a special type of cornmeal available in Spanish groceries or in the ethnic aisle of the supermarket, since there aren’t any Spanish groceries in Centre County—yet)
1 cup warm water
1 cup filling (cooked and crumbled hot sausage with onion and ground cumin made a tasty filling)
Classic filling variations:
Pupusas de Queso: cheese filling. Use grated quesillo, queso fresco, farmer's cheese, mozzarella, or a combination.
Pupusas de Chicharrones: a filling of fried pork rinds and a little tomato sauce.
Pupusas de Frijoles Refritos: refried bean filling.
Pupusas Revueltas: a mixture of chicharrones, cheese, and refried beans.
In a large bowl, mix together the masa harina and water and knead well. Knead in more water, one tablespoonful at a time, if needed to make a moist, yet firm dough. (It should not crack at the edges when you press down on it.) Working with one-fourth cup of massa dough at a time, roll the dough with your hands into a ball and press a hole in each ball with your thumb. Put about 1 tablespoon of desired filling into each ball and fold the dough over to completely enclose it. Press the ball out with your palms to form an even disc and flatten the dough from palm to palm, taking care that the filling doesn't spill out. (Easy for Angelica—not so easy for me!) Heat an ungreased skillet over high heat. Cook each pupusa for about 1-2 minutes on each side till lightly browned and blistered. Remove to a plate and cover till all pupusas are done. Serve with curtido and salsa roja or your favorite pepper sauce.
Curtido (Salvadoran cabbage salad)
Makes 8 servings
one half of a head cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, peeled and grated
one half red onion, slivered
4 cups boiling water
one half cup white vinegar
one fourth cup water
one teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Place cabbage, carrots, and onion in a large heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water over the cabbage and carrots and let rest for about 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Return the cabbage to the bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Chill and serve as an accompaniment to pupusas.
Salsa Roja (Salvadoran tomato sauce)
Makes about 2 cups
2 tablespoons olive oil
one-fourth cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
One serrano or jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chile and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the onion is translucent. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before putting the mixture in a blender and pulsing it until smooth. Add a little water if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.