dining connection to the roots of an ancestral food. El Salvador has a rich culinary tradition with dishes based on seafood, plantains, yucca and corn. But the pupusa alone has come to represent a small nation’s identity and become an answer to cravings well beyond its borders. Since the 1980s, when the United States granted amnesty to political refugees from El Salvador’s deadly civil war, pupuserías started popping up in cities with a large number of Salvadoran nationals, such as Washington, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Like most immigrants, Salvadorans brought with them a nostalgia for the comfort foods that make up the threads of their culture. Los Angeles is particularly crowded with restaurants and street vendors that serve them. It’s easy to satisfy your pupusa craving on a whim in this city. And being the City of Angels, nothing goes without some kind of alteration or upgrade. One of the most well-known and raved-about pupusa stands in Los Angeles is Delmy’s. Every Sunday for the past 15 years, Delmy’s has become an iconic presence at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market. Families, hipsters, Hollywood scenesters, foodies and your average Joe stand patiently in the longest line of all the market’s food stands just to get their pupusa fix. These are no ordinary pupusas, though. In fact, as a traditional pupusa-eating Salvadoran, the first time I glanced at owner Delmy Sandoval’s menu I was appalled that she had more than the three regular fillings to choose from. I figured only Hollywood could convert a 2,000-year-old tradition into a dionysian feast with choices of shrimp, chicken, vegetarian, shredded beef and the like. As it turned out, Sandoval is a true Salvadoran who immigrated to the United States 28 years ago, leaving behind her children until she could bring them here legally. She would make pupusas for her family’s meals, since Salvadorans have them for breakfast all the time. Sandoval figured she could sell her pupusas, but wanted to prepare them in a way no one else had. “I invented them my way and I added ingredients that are not commonly used to serve pupusas,” she says proudly. Her creative upgrade of the ultimate comfort food has allowed the pupusa to be introduced to a wider audience that can now say it’s had a taste of El Salvador – and the taste is of rich soul food that carries the flavor of nostalgia.
Gloria Calderon puts some fresh pupusas on the griddle at Delmy’s Pupusas, in Los Angeles.
WHERE TO GO FOR PUPUSAS IN LOS ANGELES: Atlacatl 301 N. Berendo St. Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 663-1404 La Caravana 1306 N. Lake Ave. Pasadena, CA 91104 (626) 791-7378 Delmy’s Pupusas Ivar and Selma Avenues, between Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards Los Angeles, CA 90028 La Pupusa Loca 5716 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038 (323) 957-2967 Los Chorros 4693 W. Century Blvd. Inglewood, CA 90304 (310) 671-5147
IN CHICAGO: El Guanaco 3802 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 394-5470 Pupusería Café Frida 7109 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60626 (773) 465-9338 Pupusería El Salvador 3557 E. 106th St., Chicago, IL 60617 (773) 374-0490 Pupusería Las Delicias 3300 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60625 (773) 267-5346 Pupusería Restaurant Cuscatleco 3125 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago, IL 60625 (773) 539-0977
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