Marcos Lainez on the pupusa and El Olomega:
"A pupusa is a corn tortilla shape stuffed with various types of filling, typically pork, beans and cheese. It comes from El Salvador, where it is the national dish. The second Sunday in November is national pupusa day.
My mother and father started selling pupusas in Red Hook Park back in the 80’s to people playing soccer. My mother had lost her job at a restaurant, then my father lost his restaurant job, too.
In my country, pupusas are sold just like here, with pickled cabbage—curtido—and tomato sauce. We’ve made some changes to the flavors. We have about fourteen different flavors now. Plus, the curtido we make is pink. We add jalapeño for our Mexican brothers, and sour cream. Americans love it with sour cream.
Some of our customers have been with us for twenty years. They still ask for my mother. This is very nice and very loyal on their part to keep coming back summer after summer."
"In my country, pupusas are sold just like here, with pickled cabbage—curtido—and tomato sauce. We’ve made some changes to the flavors. We have about fourteen different flavors now. Plus, the curtido we make is pink. We add jalapeño for our Mexican brothers, and sour cream. Americans love it with sour cream.
Some of our customers have been with us for twenty years. They still ask for my mother. This is very nice and very loyal on their part to keep coming back summer after summer."
El Olomega
155 Bay St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Photos by Andrzej Bialuski.