A pupusa is El Salvador’s national dish — a thick handmade corn tortilla stuffed before it hits the griddle, not after. The masa gets pressed around the filling by hand, sealed, and cooked until the outside crisps and the inside turns soft and molten. Most are filled with chicharrón (braised pork, not the crunchy kind), black beans, Salvadoran cheese, or all three at once — that last combination is called the revuelta and it is the one to order first. They come with curtido on the side, a lightly fermented cabbage slaw with vinegar and carrots that cuts through the richness, and a thin tomato salsa. The curtido is not optional. It is part of the dish.
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by Steven Doyle
