Photo Credit: Chris Goldberg
Pupusas, Salvadorian tamales. Oxtail soup. These brought me closer to my culture.
My grandma tells me that I used to be able to speak Spanish when I was little. But now I can’t remember how. It makes me feel like I lost touch with some of my culture. That’s part of why it’s so important to me that I know how make Salvadorian food.
Food played a big factor in my childhood. I would wake up to the smell of my great grandma Rosa, who I call abuela, cooking pupusas.
As a kid, pupusas were my favorite thing to make, and eat. My abuela would let me make my own, and if I did a good job, I got to help her make the rest. Taking my first bite into the crunchy yet soft dough with mashed beans and cheese oozing out, I felt connected to my family and our traditions.
Now that I’m older, I sometimes make dinners for my family, and I even try to teach my younger siblings how to cook. It’s important to me to stay connected with my culture, and that means passing our traditions to the next generation.