Salvadorans have a knack for turning ordinary ingredients into extraordinarily flavorful dishes. National foods manage to be exotic and traditional at the same time.

- By John Jacobs

Walk into a Salvadoran restaurant and there is one thing you can count on – color! There is going to be colorful décor serving as the perfect showcase for color-rich meals. The food in El Salvador is a bit traditional, a bit Spanish, a bit exotic, a bit Bohemian (informal), and a bit unique, with each dish reflecting these five qualities to some degree. The national fare of pupusas (stuffed flatbread) and casamiento (black beans and rice) may sound a bit ordinary at first, but don’t be decei....