Things to Do DC

World's largest pupusa? Chefs to attempt 20-foot pupusa in DC

A team of chefs is aiming to put their giant pupusa in the book of Guinness World Records this Saturday, Sept. 28 at Fiesta DC

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D.C. has a huge Salvadoran community who have helped fuel the District’s love for pupusas  – you know, those delicious pockets of corn dough typically stuffed with cheese and pork.

This weekend, the District will try to cement its pupusa scene in the Guinness World Records book by becoming home to the world’s largest pupusa.

Dive into how pupusas, El Salvador's national dish, made their way from El Salvador to Washington D.C. and what makes this dish special to the District's culinary scene.

A 20-foot wide pupusa is the goal of a team of chefs, including Iris Veronica Jimenez from La Casita Pupuseria, who are set to start cooking on Constitution Avenue at 11 a.m. Saturday. They’re trying to beat an 18-foot pupusa that required a team of 40 chefs in El Salvador to use 500 pounds of flour.

LA PAZ, EL SALVADOR - NOVEMBER 13: Salvadoran cooks poses for a photo with the most gigantic pupusa in the world, during the 18th Festival of the Pupusa in the municipality of Olocuilta in La Paz, El Salvador, on November 13, 2022. Since 2005, the "National Pupusa Day" is celebrated on the second Sunday of November, an iconic food of El Salvador. This year, the giant pupusa prepared in Olocuilta measures 5.5 meters, surpassing the 4.25 meters of 2021, which positioned this municipality as the makers of the largest pupusa in the world recognized by Guinness World Records. (Photo by Alex Pena/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
LA PAZ, EL SALVADOR - NOVEMBER 13: Salvadoran cooks poses for a photo with the most gigantic pupusa in the world, during the 18th Festival of the Pupusa in the municipality of Olocuilta in La Paz, El Salvador, on November 13, 2022. Since 2005, the "National Pupusa Day" is celebrated on the second Sunday of November, an iconic food of El Salvador. This year, the giant pupusa prepared in Olocuilta measures 5.5 meters, surpassing the 4.25 meters of 2021, which positioned this municipality as the makers of the largest pupusa in the world recognized by Guinness World Records. (Photo by Alex Pena/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Mega Pupusa party is part of this weekend’s Fiesta DC, a celebration of the city’s Hispanic communities. This year, the “host country” is Nicaragua.

The free festival includes live music, dance, food, a Miss Fiesta DC competition and a parade on Sunday. Check it out from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on Pennsylvania Avenue between 7th and 3rd streets NW.

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