What are the must-try Salvadoran dishes?

Salvadoran cuisine is hearty, flavorful, and deeply rooted in Maya and Spanish traditions. The national dish is the pupusa ??? a thick corn tortilla stuffed with cheese (queso), beans (frijoles), chicharron (pork), or loroco (a native flower bud). Eaten with curtido (pickled cabbage slaw) and tomato salsa, pupusas are served everywhere from street carts to restaurants. Other must-try dishes: sopa de pata (cow foot soup ??? trust us, it's delicious), yuca frita con chicharron (fried cassava with pork), pastelitos (fried pastries filled with meat or vegetables), tamales de elote (sweet corn tamales), and platanos fritos con crema (fried plantains with cream). Seafood on the coast is exceptional ??? fresh ceviche, grilled fish, and shrimp cocktails are staples. For breakfast, try casamiento (rice and beans) with fried plantains, eggs, and crema. Don't miss horchata de morro (a sweet seed-based drink unique to El Salvador) and atol de elote (warm corn drink).