20 Must-Try Traditional Food in El Salvador

1. Enchiladas

Enchiladas are rolled maize tortillas stuffed with meat and garnished with a covering of tomato and chili sauce. It derives its name from the Mexican-Spanish word ‘enchilar’ which the native folks say when they add and season a dish with chili.

The enchiladas are mostly served with Spanish rice and refried beans. The stuffing includes meat on most occasions but can have cheese, beans, and potatoes as well. Before serving, you can top the rolled meat with a chili-based sauce such as salsa roja, tomato-based sauce such as salsa verde, or cheese-based sauce such as chile con queso.

2. Torrejas

The English variant of a torreja is what we know as the classic French toast. A slice of bread, usually some days old, is soaked in milk or syrup and fried in a pan with oil after having it coated nicely with a beaten egg. It is then sweetened with honey or sugar and a pinch of cinnamon is added for flavour.

In El Salvador, people fry the bread in butter and use brown sugar for packing sweetness. A traditional dish that is a must-have during Christmas or Easter, it is often served with chilate - a drink made from corn and flavoured ginger.

3. Carne Asada

Literally translating to “grilled meat”, Carne Asada is grilled sliced beef, typically skirt steak or flank steak. Usually, the meat is marinated in lime juice, salt, and Mexican seasonings before being grilled or seared and is either served on its own or goes in tandem with other dishes. Sometimes, salt and spice rubs like lemon pepper can be used as an alternative to the usual ingredients used in the marination.

Originally from Mexico, this El Salvador traditional food has become one of the many popular dishes in the country.

4. Atol de Elote

Atol de Elote is a corn-based beverage that is very popular in Central America. It is a thick drink that’s commonly consumed using a spoon. It is made up of whole kernel corn, granulated sugar, evaporated milk, salt, and a cinnamon stick.

The first step is to place the whole kernel corn and half a cup of water into the blender. After blending, the mixture is strained into a saucepan while pressing the pulp. It is then boiled with sugar, cinnamon stick, and salt, with occasional stirring. Then finally, the evaporated milk is added and mixed.

5. Elote Loco

Also known as crazy corn, Elote Loco is a whole cob of either cooked or grilled sweet corn that’s topped with mayonnaise, mustard, salsa negra, ketchup, and cheese. This delectable corn on a cob is quite famous around El Salvador.

It’s prepared by boiling or roasting the corn while making sure not to salt it. A wooden stick is then inserted into the center of the base of the cob before the condiments are added. There are many variations of this simple yet delicious dish; countries like Mexico and Honduras also has their own style to the dish.

6. Pupusa (Salvadoran tortilla dish) (from USD 60.0)

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This El Salvador popular food is not only the most iconic but the most historic as well. The preparation of pupusa dates centuries back with the Pipil tribes first preparing it and on 1 April 2005. The dish was officially termed the national food of El Salvador with every second Sunday of November celebrated as National Pupusas Day. Pupusa involves a thick, handmade tortilla made with corn flour and stuffed with cheese, cooked ground pork and fried lorocco (vine flower bud found in Central America).

There are vegetarian alternatives to the filling mostly made with local squash and garlic and the pupusa can also be eaten plain. Pupusa is usually served with spicy cabbage slaw (known as curtido) and tomato salsa. The tortilla has a slightly sweet flavor which is balanced by the savory fillings and the creamy texture of the cheese. The wide possibility of customization in fillings, affordability, and flavor make pupusa a treat to your taste buds.

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7. Sopa De Pata (soup)

Sopa De Pata is a wholesome soup made with a variety of ingredients. Like any other hearty soup, Sopa De Pata consists of a starch, spices, and meat, but what gives this soup an extra edge is that it is made with cow hooves. The other ingredients are tripe, cassava, sweet corns, squash, plantains and green beans. The preparation includes washing the hooves with lemon juice to remove stench then slow boiling it to make a rich broth. The lack of meat in the hooves is aptly made up for by the juicy marrow in the bones that, when simmered in liquid, produce the flavourful and signature broth of Sopa De Pata. The soup is seasoned with coriander leaves, lemon, chili powder, and cumin. The spices and the lemon provide the zest to this rich and savory soup which makes it the perfect companion on a chilly day.

8. Tamales (steamed cakes)

A popular El Salvador dessert, Tamales is an authentic Salvadoran food that has the novel characteristic of both a savory item. It is essentially small pockets made of corn dough that are wrapped inside a banana leaf or a corn husk and steamed. Later, the banana leaf or corn husk is discarded or used as a plate. The tamale is filled with ingredients which are dependent on whether you want it to be a savory item or a dessert. In case of a savory item, the ingredients are usually cheese and meat while in case of a dessert the ingredients can be sweet corn and dried fruits. The dough pocket and fillings are seasoned according to taste and preference. Depending on the filling, a tamale can taste quite savory and creamy or sweet.

9. Yuca Frita (fried cassava)

A typical snack of El Salvador, Yuca Frita is the French fries of the country with Cassava replacing the potato in the world’s most beloved snack. The Cassava is cut into wedges and then deep fried. This traditional El Salvador food is unsurprisingly served with tomato salsa and sometimes slaw. It is quite chewy and firm in terms of texture and has a slightly sweet, grainy taste.

10. Ensalada (fruit drink)

Ensalada is El Salvador’s authentic drink. It is made with an assortment of fruits like pineapple, oranges, and mangoes. The fruits are chopped into small pieces and mixed with a light, sweet and tangy mocktail made from pineapple juice, lemon juice, and water. This is the most appropriate drink to cool your insides after consuming a dish seasoned with hot, packed-with-flavor native spices. The drink is refreshing and would be a perfect addition to a relaxing day at the beach.

11. Panes Rellenos (sub sandwich)

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Panes Rellenos is a typical El Salvadoran sandwich. It is basically a submarine filled with either turkey or chicken. The meat is cooked in Pipil spices that give the dish an authentic and indigenous flavor. Like most submarines, this sandwich comes accompanied with tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce which serves to balance the heat of those amazing spices. Panes Rellenos is a finger food and very popular in El Salvador. The dish is light yet fulfilling complemented by tender meat.

12. Quesadilla Salvadorena (dessert cake)

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Who doesn’t like cake and who wouldn’t like it if it is served for breakfast. The Quesadilla Salvadorena is El Salvador’s traditional coffee cake that has the texture and flavor of a regular pound cake. It is made with Queso Fresco cheese, milk, butter, eggs and flour-the ingredients that make a delicious cake. You can eat is cake as a side with your morning cup of coffee or as a dessert after any meal. A Salvadorian breakfast, this delicious, cheesy cake has the flavor and aroma to give a wonderful start to your day.

13. Sopa De Pescado (fish soup)

A local favorite Salvadorian food, the Sopa De Pescado is a soup that is made with fish and other seafood. The soup is made flavourful by adding tomatoes, achiote, green pepper, cumin, and corn flour. The seafood is cooked in a delicious broth of these ingredients and the result is a soup that treats your taste buds. This soup is usually savored during the occasion of Good Friday but can be eaten any day you please for lunch and dinner. The soup tastes spicy and is fulfilling.

14. Empanadas De Leche (plaintain pastry)

Empanadas De Leche is a traditional El Salvador breakfast item. This traditional dish from El Salvador is basically plaintain which has been ground and given an oval shape and then deep fried. The filling is of vanilla custard. These empanadas taste heavenly what with the sweet flavor and smooth texture. Though traditionally served in breakfast, these can be consumed at any time of the day.

15. Tres Leche Cake (sponge/butter cake)

Another popular food in El Salvador is this sumptuous dessert. Tres Leche Cake is a complex dessert that is made with three types of milk and served cold. The three types of milk used are condensed milk, whole milk and evaporated milk. The cake tastes heavenly with the dense texture complementing the layered sponge with whipped cream on top.

16. Horchata (rice-based beverage)

A very popular drink in Mexico, and comes in many names and variations, Horchata is another El Salvador traditional food. You’ll find this creamy beverage in many street stands as well as in almost every restaurant’s menu in the city. If you have no means of buying it anywhere, you can make it yourself for the recipe is very simple. It is made of rice, milk, sugar, and spices, including vanilla and cinnamon.

17. Chorizo (cured pork sausage)

Another popular Salvadoran food is chorizo. It is basically a cured sausage made of pork and seasoned with paprika, green chiles, onion, and garlic, which gives the dish a traditional El Salvadorian taste. Unlike other chorizos, the chorizo here is short and fresh and knot into two sausages. This traditional Salvadoran food is also perfect with lime and a dip.

18. Semita (jam-filled pastry)

A traditional Salvadorian food that is perfect as a snack or a dessert, Cemita or Semita is a pastry filled with jam. It comes with different sweet fillings like guava, mango, and raspberry jam, but the crowd favorite is the one filled with pineapple jam, which is called “Semita de piña.” Its common ingredients include egg, sugar, milk, yeast, flour, cinnamon, and any fruit jam.

19. Marquesote Salvadoreno (traditional cake)

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

This Salvadorian food is very popular that you’ll almost find it in every family’s table, and some cities in the country even trademark the dish. It is a traditional Salvadorian cake that comes in a rectangular shape and is made of egg, sugar, and flour, without using any food processor or electric mixer. Also, it goes perfectly well with a cup of coffee and hot choco. Additionally, there is a festival in honor of this delicious cake, where a lot of tourists attend and buy the cake in bulk for family and friends back home.

20. Pan Con Chumpe (turkey sandwich)

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Another popular traditional food in El Salvador, Pan Con Chumpe, is a tasty sandwich with turkey as the main filling and some pickled vegetables. Making this sandwich is as tedious as making the well-known Thanksgiving turkey, but it is worth the outcome. Apart from the turkey, the sauce of the sandwich is what makes or breaks the dish. The sauce is made of different kinds of spices, tomatoes, green pepper, and more. Another good thing about this sandwich is it’s a well-balanced meal, complete with all the nutrients your body needs.

Indulge in culinary decadence

Incredible surf spots and other attractions are not all that El Salvador has to offer. When you’ve exhausted all the best things to do as well as the places to visit in the country, check out their traditional El Salvador cuisine. Food is therapy for all of us and hence we have a dish for every occasion, situation, and environment. The next time you visit El Salvador or choosing the menu for a party or you are simply going through the daily ordeal of deciding what to make or eat for lunch, give Salvadoran cuisine a try. For your guide, check out our list of traditional El Salvador food.