Recipe: Hand-Stuffed Puffy Veggie "Pupusas"

Hand-Stuffed Puffy Veggie "Pupusas"

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• knead :

  to work dough by pushing, pulling, and folding it by hand or with a stand mixer.

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• mix :

  to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.

• sauté :

  to cook or brown food in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.

What is a Pupusa?

• A "pupusa" is a grilled flatbread made of corn masa flour filled with beans, cheese, fish, meat, and vegetables. It is like a thick corn tortilla. It comes from El Salvador and is their national dish. The name "pupusa" comes from a word in the Pipil language, an indigenous language of Mesoamerica.
• Pupusas are often served with a tomato purée or salsa and "curtido," a lightly fermented cabbage slaw. 
• Pupusas were declared the national dish of El Salvador in 2005, and every second Sunday of November is National Pupusas Day. A fair is held to celebrate in the capital, San Salvador, and other cities around the country.
• The Guinness World Record for the largest pupusa is 15 feet in diameter, created in Olocuilta, El Salvador, 8 November 8, 2015, for the city's sixth annual pupusa festival. It was made with rice flour instead of corn flour, which is typical for that region of the country.

Let's Learn About El Salvador!

• El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. Honduras borders it on the northwest, Guatemala borders it on the northeast, and the Pacific Ocean is on its southern border. It is the only country in Central America that does not touch the Caribbean Sea.
• This region was part of Mesoamerica, where the indigenous people from the Mayan, Lencan, and Cuzcatlecs nations lived and governed long before the Spanish invaded in 1524. There is archaeological evidence of monuments from the earliest people in Mesoamerica, the Olmec, in the 1000s BCE.  
• El Salvador became independent from Spain in 1821. It then gained independence from the First Mexican Empire in 1823 and, finally, from the Federal Republic of Central America in 1824. International recognition came in 1841. 
• San Salvador is the capital and largest city of El Salvador. Spanish is the official language. Most Salvadorans have both Spanish and Indigenous ancestors. There are a few thousand descendants of the Mesoamerican Pipil people who live in parts of El Salvador and speak the Pipil language.
• The country's population is over 6.5 million, and the total land is 8,124 square miles, the smallest country in Central America. It is smaller than the US state of Massachusetts in land area. Almost half of the population lives in rural areas. 
• El Salvador's government is a unitary presidential republic with a president, a vice president, and a legislative assembly. As of 2001, their currency is the US dollar. Before that, it was the colón. 
• El Salvador is known as the Land of Volcanoes because it has more than 20 volcanoes! It often experiences volcanic activity and frequent earthquakes. The highest volcano is Santa Ana Volcano, which has another volcano on its side, named Izalco!
• El Salvador is also known as the Land of the Hammocks, which are very popular in the country. Not only are Salvadoran woven hammocks known worldwide for their quality, but hammocks are also associated with the country due to their ability to rock back and forth during an earthquake!
• Anteaters, jaguars, and spider monkeys are just some of the wildlife in El Salvador. The national bird is the colorful "torogoz," or turquoise-browed motmot. 
• El Salvador has lost about 85 percent of its forests since the 1960s. Efforts are now being taken to protect the remaining forests. 
• Rice, beans, and tortillas are staples in Central America. Popular dishes include "pollo encebollado" (chicken with onions), "yuca frita" (deep-fried cassava root), "pan con pollo" (marinated chicken sandwich), and "empanadas de leche o frijol" (plantain pastry stuffed with milk custard or fried beans). 
• The "papusa," a thick corn tortilla filled with cheese, beans, squash, or meat and fried on a griddle, is considered the national dish of El Salvador. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in El Salvador?

• In El Salvador, family life is very important. Children are taught respect for their elders and are often in the care of their grandparents if both parents work.
• Kids must attend school from ages 7 to 15, although they can attend pre-primary school from ages 4 to 6. 
• Life can be different for kids who live in the city compared to the countryside. In rural areas, some children work on farms to help support their families. 
• Kids participate in sports after school, like football (soccer), basketball, baseball, tennis, or swimming.
• Families might go hiking in Parque Nacional El Boquerón, where they can hike up to see inside the crater of the San Salvador Volcano or "Boquerón" (Big Mouth). Inside the main hole is a smaller crater called "Boqueroncito," or little Boquerón. 
• Kids may also enjoy visiting the Tin Marin Children's Museum in the capital, San Salvador.
• "Pupusas" are popular for breakfast or a snack. Kids may also enjoy having a "quesadilla Salvadoreña," a sweet bread ("pan dulce") made with rice flour, sugar, and a Salvadoran white cheese, called "queso duro blanco."
• "Dulce de nance" is a Salvadoran candy of "nance" fruit cooked in sugar and water. Nance fruit is a golden or yellow-orange tropical berry that resembles cherries but does not taste anything like a cherry. It has been described as tasting like a "banana, lychee, and pear, with a hint of cheese!