Pupusa

Pupusas may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age, as long as the filling ingredients are age-appropriate to reduce choking risk. Note that pupusas often contain dairy, a common allergen, in the form of cheese.

The pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador, a thick, hand-formed cake of masa filled with cheese, beans, seasoned pork, loroco buds, or combinations of these, then cooked on a hot comal or griddle until the exterior is golden and lightly crisped. There is evidence of pupusa preparation by the Pipil people of present-day El Salvador dating back over two thousand years, making it one of the oldest continuously prepared foods in the Americas.

• Check the filling temperature, not just the outside. The masa cools faster than the filling inside, which can stay quite hot long after the outside feels safe to touch. 

• If serving bean-filled pupusas, pair them with a food rich in vitamin C like ripe mango, papaya, a few pieces of bell pepper, or tomato in a simple salsa roja.

It can be. The masa is typically soft and mashable and presents a low choking risk, but fillings can be sticky (like melted cheese) or challenging to chew (like chunks of meat or firm vegetables), qualities that can increase the risk of choking. To reduce the risk, prepare and serve pupusas in an age-appropriate way as described in How to Serve. As always, create a safe eating environment and stay within reach of baby during meals.

Learn the signs of choking and more about choking first aid in our free guides, Infant Rescue and Toddler Rescue.

It depends. The corn masa exterior typically contains no common food allergens, but the filling ingredients may contain common allergens, such as dairy in the form of cheese, among others. Read the labels to check for common allergens when buying pre-made pupusas.

It is important to introduce common food allergens individually and rule out a food allergy before offering baby prepared foods that contain multiple potential food allergens. This way, when you are ready to share a pupusa, you will be confident that baby has already safely eaten any common food allergens in it. This approach can also help you quickly identify potential culprits in the unlikely event that baby experiences an allergic reaction after eating a pupusas.

Yes. Pupusas are primarily made from masa, a nixtamalized corn dough, which offers carbohydrates, fiber, B vitamins, and more. The nixtamalization process adds calcium to the masa and makes its niacin more easily absorbed by the body, among other benefits.^[1] Depending on the pupusa’s filling, which can include cheese, vegetables, and meat, it can also contain calcium, protein, fiber, and iron, among other nutrients. 

Pupusas can be high in sodium, but sharing meals, even if those meals contain some salt, can bring baby into their family food culture as soon as they are ready to start solids, which has other benefits. Family meals are opportunities for baby to explore a wide variety of food, practice eating food with different colors, flavors, and textures, and get comfortable with food that you like to eat. Learn more about salt and babies.

Yes. Babies can have curtido with their pupusas as soon as they are ready for solids, as long as the curtido is shared in an age-appropriate way. For babies just starting solids, finely chop the curtido and mix with a scoopable food, and for babies with a working pincer grasp (around 9 months of age), you can offer the curtido on its own as long as the vegetables are finely shredded.

Yes. Pupusas de arroz are made with rice flour and can be shared with babies in the same way as pupusas made from corn masa. The texture of rice flour pupusas may be slightly more delicate, which can make them even easier for younger babies to mash with their gums.

Leftover pupusas reheat well in a dry pan over medium heat or in a toaster oven, which revives the slight crispness of the exterior without drying out the filling. If reheating in the microwave, cut the pupusa open completely before reheating to allow steam to escape and heat to distribute evenly, and always test the temperature of the filling directly before serving to baby.