Traditional Salvadoran cuisine combines the foods of Spain and the indigenous population, especially the Maya, Lenca, and Pipil people.

Many of the dishes are made with maize (corn).

Typical Breakfast

For breakfast, Salvadorans usually eat platos típicos (national dishes), which commonly include mashed beans, sour cream, eggs, Salvadoran tortillas, cheese, fried plantains, rice and coffee. Huevos picados are scrambled eggs mixed with vegetables. They also eat just coffee and French bread.

Soups and Salad

Soups are popular among Salvadorans of every social level. Sopa de pata is a soup made from patas de res (cow's feet) and sometimes tripe, locally a delicacy. Gallo en chicha is a soup made with rooster in fermented corn liquid, flavored with raisins and sometimes other things.

While salads are uncommon in traditional Salvadoran cuisine, primarily because polluted water, which is a general problem,[1] contaminates moist raw vegetables, like lettuce, with pathogenic organisms, they have become more and more part of the usual diet of the Salvadoran people. "Ensalada Fresca" (Fresh Salad) which usually includes a mix of fresh raw tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce is a common staple on most lunches. Additionally, most restaurants include them on their menu, with traditional salads like Potato Salad and Cesar Salad being very common. Ensalada (salad) can also refer to a mixed fruits beverage (see Beverages section).

Dessert

Salvadoran dessert usually consists of Pan Dulce, Zemita, Salvadoran style Quesadilla, Torta de Yema, Marquezote, Salpores, Poleada (vanilla custard), Arroz en Leche (rice pudding), Atol de Elote, Atol de Piña etc. etc. The dulce de leche of El Salvador has a soft, crumbly texture, with an almost crystallized form. Fruits are widely consumed and the most popular are mangoes, papayas and bananas. Empanadas de Platano are also popular dessert.

Beverages

Teenagers usually drink gaseosas or sodas (soft drinks) like Coca-cola, while young and old alike drink coffee, El Salvador's top export. A very popular soda that originated in El Salvador is Cola Champagne, which is a soda with sugar cane flavor. Minutas, slushy frozen drinks flavored with natural flavored syrup, and horchata, mix of spices such as cinnamon, peanuts, sesame seeds, ajonjoli, and morro, are popular throughout the country and enjoyed on a hot day. Licuados are like the former, but fresh fruit and sometimes milk is added. Refrescos refer to lemonade or other sweetened fruit drinks. Other drinks include Arrayan, Shuco and Chilate. Another popular beverage is Ensalada (salad), made of pineapple juice with finely chopped fruits, usually apples, marañon, mamey, and watercress. Tamarind juice is consumed in all of El Salvador.

Coconuts are also available throughout the country at roadside stands. Typically, they are chopped with machetes and a straw is inserted so that the coconut water can be consumed. For adults, this drink mixed with vodka is a popular aperitif.

Alcoholic Beverages

The most common alcoholic beverage is beer (cerveza); in El Salvador the most popular brand name is Pilsener.