Celebrate National Pupusa Day with the Official Arizona Pupusas Festival Nov. 13th

By: Cindy G. Castillo

Pupusas are the national food of El Salvador; so popular in fact, that the second Sunday of every November the Salvadorian government has declared as the National Day of the Pupusa. This year, the Valley is joining in on the celebration with the Arizona Pupusas Festival, taking place on November 13th.

Yesenia Ramirez, coordinator for the event says the idea for the upcoming festival came after seeing a need for something like it in Arizona. “There wasn’t really anything in the Valley that I could feel connected to,” Ramirez, an El Salvador native, explains. “I go to different Mexican festivals but there was something missing from El Salvador.”

The Arizona Pupusas Festival was started by Linda Herrera about ten years ago, and was then taken over by the Salvadoreño Restaurant in Phoenix. The eatery offers authentic Salvadorian cuisine and is now so popular that it has expanded to two locations in Phoenix, two in Mesa and one in California. The restaurants are best known, of course, for the pupusas. Pupusas are made of thick, handmade corn tortillas filled with a variety of ingredients, including soft cheese, refried beans, pork, vegetables, among other things. They are typically eaten with a slightly fermented cabbage and carrot salad marinated in vinegar, called a curtido.

The festival is only weeks away and the entire Valley is getting in on the buzz. Several media outlets are already jumping in on the excitement as well. It promises to be a one-of-a-kind event – featuring live bands, local musicians, folklore dancing from El Salvador by the group Danza Folklorica Cuzcatleca, and a local vendor marketplace. To top it all off, there will be a bar area, featuring sodas, waters and aguas frescas; and let’s not forget the pupusa eating contest.

All tickets are General Admission, and all food/drink items cost extra once inside. You can purchase tickets each valued at $1, and use those to purchase your food and drinks from your vendors. The event is produced by family members of a locally owned Salvadoreño Restaurant to benefit the Fresh Pair of Kicks Campaign, whose mission is to make a difference by providing educational programs to “Build a Stronger Future for Arizona’s Children.”

The mission of the Arizona Pupusas Festival is to become a signature community event which not only showcases the delicious food from El Salvador and its culture; but at the same time, impacting the local community via their partnership with Fresh Pair of Kicks Campaign.

Click here to learn more about the Arizona Pupusas Festival and get your tickets now.

Date: Sunday, November 13

Time: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Location:

Tempe Kiwanis Park

5500 S. Mill Ave.

Tempe, AZ 85283