Take for example, the cemita. The Mexican cemita is a spicy meat filled sandwich. But in El Salvador, the cemita is a type of cake/bread - it's one of those hybrid situations that makes it a little too sweet for bread, but too sturdy for cake.
![](http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/07/10/s_2002.jpg)
Notice the two toned nature of the cake, demonstrating that there are two different batters or doughs in use. Most commonly, a swirl of pineapple preserves is incorporated, although I have read of strawberry or other fruit used. Goes really well with a milky Earl Grey.
Where to get one? This slab was inexpensive at Panaderia Rio Lempa on Gessner.
![](http://blogpress.w18.net/photos/10/07/10/s_2003.jpg)
The kind of stuff they call "pan dulce" in Mexico. It's an acquired taste.
ReplyDeleteWords for foods notoriously vary locally. When I learned Spanish in Mexico, no dictionary was of any use for food words. "Naranjo" meant 'sour orange', while "china" meant 'sweet orange', like "orange" does in English. And so on.
I remember a joke about a truck going from Mexico to Guatemala that declared its contents at the border as "refacciones para coches". The border guards had a good laugh, because while that means 'spare parts for cars' in Mexico, it means 'snacks for pigs' in Guatemala.