Somerville pupusa crawl: How a chef is putting El Salvador's national dish on the map

"Among the tacos and burritos that dominate menus, one unassuming dish stands out: the pupusa - a perfectly round, crispy corn cake stuffed with cheese, beans, and other edible fillings. It's El Salvador's national dish, but pupusas are lesser known to American palettes. While the dish is more accessible in East Somerville, pupusas appear on menus alongside classic Mexican dishes at restaurants like Taco Loco and Don Julio. They may not be the star of the menu, but they're delicious, dependable, and cheap, as low as $3.50 apiece."

"But for chef and Dos Manos Kitchen business owner Edwin Orellana, that's not good enough. "Everybody knows about tacos," Orellana said. He hopes the pupusa can become as much of a household name as Americans' favorite Tuesday meal. Stop 1: Taco Loco - a longtime favorite On a windy Wednesday in Greater Boston, Orellana and his wife, Alexis Orellana, are taking Boston.com on a pupusa crawl. Together they run Dos Manos, a pupusa-only pop-up, that's part restaurant, part educational service."

A mile-long stretch of Broadway in Somerville offers many affordable food options, including Salvadoran pupusas. A pupusa is a round, crispy corn cake stuffed with cheese, beans, and other fillings. Pupusas are El Salvador's national dish but remain less familiar to many Americans. Pupusas appear on menus at local restaurants such as Taco Loco and Don Julio and can cost as little as $3.50 each. Chef Edwin Orellana runs Dos Manos, a pupusa-only pop-up that serves food and provides education. Orellana and his wife conduct pupusa crawls to promote the dish.

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