Hand-held foods are always the best—filling, quick and portable. From samosas, dumplings, bao, pasties, and piroshki, every culture has a hand-pie-esque contribution. Central-South America runs with the concept, bringing culturally beloved, flavorful food from your hand to your mouth. They range from savory to sweet, flour-based to corn masa, and snack-like to an entire meal stuffed into one pocket. These are some of our favorite spots for arepas, pupusas and empanadas in Utah, along with a bit of food lore if you are just catching up!
Empanadas
South America’s half-moon hand pie
Designed to fit neatly in the palm of your hand, the name comes from the Spanish empanar or “coat with bread.” I personally love that there is a verb in Spanish that means coating with bread, implying that more foods should be ensconced in dough. You can find empanadas in Spain, where they were mentioned in literature as early as the 1200s.
When most people think of empanadas, they think of the egg-washed, meat-filled Argentinian baked pastry dough version. But the varieties and the ingredients are actually vast. In Colombia and Venezuela, for example, they are made of corn masa with annatto added to make them extra yellow. Masa technically means dough. But nixtamalized, ground corn is implied. Instead of baked, they are fried. In Costa Rica, they might be made with yucca flour; in El Salvador, they may even be made with plantain. Without traveling, I’ve only found the Argentinian and Venezuelan versions locally.
Argentinian Empanadas: Argentina’s Best
Why Go: The OG of empanadas in Utah. Their flavors are classic and familiar. On the small side, they are only $5 each, so you can easily get 2-3 for a full meal.
Featuring: Their chimichurri is oily and herbaceous with a hint of chile. I recommend dousing each bite in the sauce.
What to Get: Lemon Beef Empanada—not sure how they pack such a strong citrus flavor into one little pocket, but it is both meaty and refreshing.
Traditional Beef Empanada—loaded with chopped hard-boiled egg and olives as well as beef (but minus raisins, as is found in some empanadas)- is the most traditional of the traditional flavors.
When you go:
Argentina’s Best Empanadas
357 S. 200 East, SLC
Open Monday-Saturday from 10 am – 2 pm
(With pop-ups at local farmers markets and events)
Arepas
Flatbread? Griddle cake? Pita? How about all three!
Arepas are to Venezuela, as tortillas are to Mexico. It is the national bread, and they are eaten with almost every meal. Made of dried, ground hominy that is rehydrated, formed into thick, round patties, and dried out so that the exterior is firm and crusty while the interior stays soft and warm. When I lived in Miami, my Venezuelan roommate made them daily. She would add a little salt and a dry, crumbly cheese before teaching me to scorch the exterior slightly in a dry pan to develop the crush and then bake in the oven. Lest anyone come for me, I should mention that you can also find them in Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and parts of Central America.
The arepa dough is deliberately bland—the better to soak up the flavors of anything stuffed inside. They can be served along with soup for dipping and sopping up. When hot out of the oven, they can be stuffed with cheese for a luscious, almost-grilled cheese sandwich. Kids with arepas stuffed with eggs in hand will make their way to school. I’ve even seen a mom split an arepa open, scrape out the soft corn middle, mix it with butter, and spoon-feed it grits-style to her baby.
Most often, arepas are served sliced halfway through, creating a pita-like pocket. They are stuffed with meat, beans, cheese, avocado, chicken salad or any and all combinations for a filling sandwich-taco-pita situation.
Venezuelan Arepas: Arempas
Why Go: Arempas makes its arepas fresh every single day. They aren’t frozen, which means they maintain their characteristic soft interior. The filling IS filling—like, filled to overflowing. One Arepa will fill you up, and then some.
Bonus: They also make Venezuelan-style fried empanadas, so you can get both at one stop.
What to Get: Arepa Reina Pepiada—served cold, this chicken salad/avocado arepa is the lightest offering. Creamy and straightforward, it is more than the sum of its parts. Add garlic sauce and chimichurri for a little extra kick.
Arep Pabellon—the granddaddy of Arepas. It is loaded with shredded beef, fried plantain, black beans, and both cotija and mozzarella cheeses. The fried plantain is maduro, or cooked when ripe, and so it is a sweet addition to the silky black beans.
When you go:
Arempas
Locations in Downtown Salt Lake, Midvale and Orem
Hours vary by location. See the website for additional information.
Pupusas
The original hot pocket
The humble pupusa is so beloved in El Salvador; not only is it the national dish, but it even has its own holiday. The second Sunday of November is National Pupusas Day. Pupusas are generally made of corn masa and are bigger than an arepa but smaller than a large tortilla for a burrito. The corn masa is stuffed, sealed shut, and griddled until piping hot. I’ve burned my hands and mouth on more than one occasion trying to dig into a pupusa too quickly. Like trying to eat a hot pocket when it is hot out of the microwave and burning your mouth, it’s part of the experience.
No one seems entirely sure where the name comes from. It might mean “fluffy thing” from the Nawat word pupusawa, meaning “to puff up.” Which might make sense because a pupusa arrives on your plate with little pockets of steam puffing it up until it cools slightly. It is worth mentioning that there is a heated debate between Nicaragua and El Salvador about the origins. But it is ubiquitous in both countries.
The first historical reference dates to 1837, when a Guatemalan poet wrote home to his family from a trip to the Nicaraguan-El Salvadorenean borderlands about pupusas “a foot in diameter” held together with cheese. However, they were only commonly available throughout the region starting in the 1960s. From there, they spread around the globe, even winning the award of The Best Street Food in New York from The Guardian.
The traditional condiment for pupusas is a lightly fermented cabbage-onion-carrot relish with lime juice called curtido. It is like a vinegar-based coleslaw. I like to wrap my pupusa around the cabbage taco-style, douse it in salsa rojo, and then take a big bite. Final pro tip: it is bad manners to eat pupusas with utensils. Pick it up and eat with your hands.
Salvadorenean Pupusas: El Viroleño
Why Go: An institution located in the same spot for over twenty years, this is THE place for authentic El Salvadorian food.
Bonus: The best part? Pupusas are $4/each—so you can get all of them for $20.
What to Get: Pupusa de Chicharron—the pork pupusa isn’t thick and meaty like a taco. The pork is thinly spread throughout, so it has a hint of meatiness without being overwhelming.
Loroco con Queso—Loroco is a traditional edible flower that is often used as a filling in pupusas. This is probably the most beloved filling and adds a hint of herbal flavor to the rich cheese filling.
When you go:
El Viroleño
471 W. 800 South, SLC
Hours: Sunday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. (approximately, hours may vary).
