I don’t speak Spanish. I do speak Fried. As in chicken, mozzarella
sticks, zucchini, the occasional Blooming Onion, and once a Twinkie. In
the universal language of crispy deliciousness, I am fluent.
And pupusas,
a duo of thick, fried tortillas with meat and/or cheese stuffed between
them, have recently become a new part of my vocabulary–despite the
fact that my waitress snickered when I tried to order them in my best
Spanglish.
Last Friday, I discovered Pupusaria Salvadorena
by the fairgrounds (check out my previous post for details). Nestled
next to a Joyeria and a Mexican grocery, the newly invigorated
storefront isn’t much–plastic-covered tables, a view of several women
in the back patting corn tortillas, and a few newspapers scattered
about the tables.
The menu is simple (and all in Spanish, so I can’t tell you everything on it…though the staff are happy to help out): Sopas
(soup); Almuerzos (heartier lunch meals); Desayunos (breakfast) and
Antojitos Salvadorenos (Salvadorian specialties), including Pupusas. The best I can compare them to, and don’t laugh, are a sort of savory, flattened jelly donut. Okay, that’s a terrible comparison, but as the cheese oozed out a hole, it seemed an apt comparison.
Regardless,
I can steer you confidently toward the Pupusas Revueltas (a meat and
vegetable-stuffed tortilla) and the Pupusas de Ayote con Quesa
(zucchini and a light, fresh cheese). Both are under $2 each.
My kid snapped up most of the Pasteles de Carne con Papa,
declaring them among the best things he’d ever eaten. Best I can tell,
they’re football-shaped fritters stuffed with potatoes and veggies.
Again, the theme here is fried deliciousness.
The pupusaria also
serves up tamales, yuca frita and empanadas, but hey, you’re here for
the Pupusas. Just tell them the gringa sent you.
Pupuseria Salvadorena
1403 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa
707.544.3141
