i was first introduced to the pupusa in the summer of ’98 by my best friend tania. this little marvel of the culinary world hails from el salvador, where it is so cherished that november 13 has been declared día nacional de la pupusa (national pupusa day). i wish montreal had a day dedicated to the pupusa… what can i say? i have been hooked from the first bite.
a pupusa is a thick, handmade corn tortilla that is stuffed with fillings. the most common stuffings are cheese, pork, beans, or combinations of. they are cheap and filling. many places in montreal offer them and although i haven’t tried them all, i really like the ones at restaurant y pupuseria iris.
the meal i had here was good. it could be that i enjoyed the meal a little too much because the last time i had pupusas was two years ago when tania and i made some ourselves, but i must give credit where it is due. the restaurant got it right. the pupusas here are nice and fluffly, cooked to golden perfection. this is an absolute requirement for a good pupusa; the tough, rubbery ones are the result of over-handling. at this particular pupuseria, you can can pick from a variety of stuffings including pork, chicken, and shrimp. my favourites are the pupusas con queso y loroco. the chef does not skimp on the filling. the pupusas arrive at your table about 1cm thick and ready to burst. all you have to do is top them with some curtido (a cabbage salad) and tomato sauce and you are in for a treat. three are enough to fill me up and at a couple of dollars each, you can enjoy a meal on the cheap.
f.y.i.: loroco is an edible flower native to central america. they use the buds in pupusas. loroco has a slightly tart flavour that marries well with the cheese in the pupusa. however, it is a taste that is easy to miss if you don’t know what you are looking for or if you overload on toppings.
aside from the pupusas, they also serve breakfast and other foodstuff such as tamales, plantain, and so on. they have a variety of drinks like horchata and tamarindo, which can be ordered by the glass or the pitcher. i am not a big fan of their horchata (i prefer the one at el sombrero), but their tamarindo is nice. i have a strong suspicion that their drinks are made from the powdered mixes found in the local latino markets.
the menu also offers combos that come with nachos and refried beans, a number of pupusas, and a pitcher of the drink of your choosing. the nachos and the beans are nothing to write home about, but they are good enough to tide you over while you wait for the pièce de résistance. four people can easily share the 12 pupusas combo. the last time i was here, the combo went for about $20.
restaurant y pupuseria iris
50, rue jarry est
montréal, québec
H2P 1T1
T: 514-381-2992
payment: cash, debit, credit cards
hours:
sun to wed 9am – 9pm
thurs to sat 9am – 10pm
closed tuesdays
damn! didn’t even know they had pupusas here! I will definitely be trying this place! Thanks for the suggestion!