Oct 29, 20233 min read

The pupusa series, episode #5: All the fillings

The fillings are endless and can be adjusted to meet any dietary restrictions.

The pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador and it represents the country and our people, it's warm and filled with love. The art of making the pupusa is in the dough, the fillings and the hand skills of those making it. Not to worry though because with practice all three can be achieved!

What are the typical pupusa fillings?

The typical Salvadoran pupusa is filled with a mixture of the following: cheese, chicharron, Salvadoran refried beans, loroco, and squash. As it's evolved and become more popular, fillings have expanded to meet different dietary restrictions. The last time I travelled to El Salvador I was surprised to see menus with options that ranged from vegetables to seafood.

How to make the best pupusa filling?

Weather you choose to make a traditional filling or make a mixture of your own, here are some tips to help you enhance these fillings:

Seasoning: The only time the seasoning is not necessary is if you're only filling it with cheese. Otherwise if you make it with vegetables and cheese or any protein add seasoning. The dough is bland and in order for the filling to standout it has to be seasoned and not get lost in the cheese and dough.
Consistency: It's important that the fillings get processed or smashed down and are left with clumps. When you place these fillings in a ball of dough you don't want big chunks because they will break through your dough as you're flattening it out.
Mixing: If you choose to make pupusas with more than one ingredient, mix your ingredients together and then fill the pupusa. If you just add in the ingredients as your making the pupusa you may get portions with just ingredient A and others with ingredients B.

Let's get a bit more into the details of each typical filling and common mixtures.

Cheese: This is the most common filling, it can be alone or with any of these ingredients I will be listing below. In El Salvador we use the homeland cheese know as "quesillo" but if you are in a place where this is hard or impossible to find you can use any cheese that melts well. Some of my favorites to use are mozarella and Oaxaca cheese. Try not to buy pre-shredded cheese as some companies add a layer of preservatives that makes it hard for it to melt. It's best if you can get the block of cheese and shred it yourself. You can also sub this with vegan cheese for a vegan option.
Chicharron: Seasoned fried and processed pork. This is a typical filling and it's normally mixed with cheese, beans and loroco to make a pupusa "revuelta." Recipe can be found here.
Refried Salvadoran beans: This is also a typical filling and can be mixed with el chicharron y queso. Recipe can be found here.
Loroco: This is a flower with an earthy taste and it's a popular filling for pupusas. You wash the flower and chop it into small pieces to mix with cheese or other ingredients.
Squash or any other vegetables (Mushrooms, carrots, jalapeño etc.): The best method is to grate or finely chop the vegetables and remove excess water. You can season them and sauté them for a few minutes. Be sure not to overcook because it may be harder to handle when filling the pupusa. Let it cool and then mix them with cheese or any other ingredients.
Flor de calabaza (Squash flower): It's said that this is what was initially used to make the pupusa fillings and it's still one of the commonly used ingredients. Wash them well and chop them into medium pieces. The flower is normally mixed with cheese.
Browned garlic: Fry the peeled garlic cloves in olive oil or butter. Smash them a bit and mix them in with cheese for a delicious mixture.
Other proteins (Chicken, beef, shrimp, crab, lobster): Many restaurants where I live are offering chicken, beef and shrimp options. The key here is to season your protein as you would if you were to eat it alone. It's best to shred the chicken and beef, and finely chop any seafood.