I know it's been awhile since my last post, but don't worry, I haven't stopped eating!
This weekend I happened to be in Des Moines where the World Food Festival was taking place. I managed to duck out of my obligations late Sunday afternoon to take a quick meander through. With over thirty-five vendor tents featuring cuisines from Laos, Turkey, Mexico, Russia, Italy, and more, there was an array of exciting choices for me to make my dinner.
My pennies were tight and my time was limited (how did I miss hearing about this event!!???), but I did manage to consume a truly incredible dish from El Salvador called a "pupusa". A pupusa is a fat corn tortilla (kind of puffy like a pancake) that is stuffed with white queso cheese and pork, then fried on a griddle til it's smoking hot. The tortilla is topped with a vinegared coleslaw and slathered in spicy green chili verde sauce.
Yum! Pupusas are my new favorite El Salvadoran food! (To be honest, this is my first taste of any food item originating in El Salvador.) The slaw was a cool and crunchy foil for the hot melty cheese and meat combo, and the salsa verde was super spicy and set my tummy on fire on this bitterly cold day. So, anyone out there have a recipe?
Next year, I will try to be more on top of things and report more from the World Food Fair. There were many a BBQ'd pork sandwich, Indian curry, and Filipino egg roll I would have loved to taste. Until then, I shall continue to diligently explore the world of food and report what I find out there back to you!