Take appetite to El Salvador pavilion

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This article was published 10/08/2018 (2340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If there’s an unofficial slogan for Folklorama’s new El Salvador Pavilion, it’s “Mi casa es tu casa.”

Warmth and welcoming are at the heart of the only pavilion representing Central America at this year’s festival. El Salvador is one of the smallest countries in the world, “but our people have huge hearts,” says pavilion media chair Jenny Briones. “We want to be able to welcome everyone to our home.”

Briones, 40, came to Winnipeg from El Salvador when she was school-aged. Her husband is Chilean, so she’s been involved with Chilean Pavilion — but she’s always wanted to celebrate her own heritage on the Folklorama stage. When pavilion sponsor Canadians Salvadorians in Winnipeg, CASA Inc. expressed interest in putting together a new El Salvador Pavilion in 2018, she jumped at the chance to volunteer. Having representation at Folklorama is important to her.

“For me, I’m a second-generation El Salvadoran here in Winnipeg, so getting the third generation to get to know El Salvador and where they come from, to learn what our culture is because it’s rich,” she says. “And showing that to the rest of Winnipeg — and the world, because Folklorama can see throughout the world via Facebook, Instagram. It’s letting people know who we are.”

The El Salvador Pavilion, which makes its weeklong Folklorama debut Sunday night at the Bronx Community Centre, 720 Henderson Hwy., promises a veritable feast for the senses, with performances from Calgary dance troupe Folklore Salvadoreño and Winnipeg’s own Ballet Folklorico Raices de El Salvador, along with el mariachi Jose Hernan Valdes, who is a fixture at La Fiesta Cafecito. On Friday and Saturday night at 11 p.m., the pavilion will host a late-night dance party featuring the Latin Fusion Band.

And then, of course, there’s the food, which will be made in-house by volunteers. Pavilion visitors will be able to tuck into what is arguably El Salvador’s most famous dish, pupusas — a thick corn tortilla stuffed with savoury filling. Tamales, pockets of dough steamed in a banana leaf, are also on the menu, as are yuca frita con chicharrones — the edible root of the cassava plant topped with fried pork skin.

“There’s also panes con pavo, which is an El Salvadoran-style turkey sandwich that’s usually shared with family and friends at Christmas and other special occasions,” Briones explains. “It has watercress, cucumber, tomato and lettuce with a specific El Salvadorian salsa.”

Guava-filled empanadas and rice pudding are just two of the dessert offerings. Bring your appetite.

Briones points out that Manitoba is home to a growing El Salvadoran community.

“Not just here in Winnipeg, but in Brandon — there’s a huge El Salvadoran community there, too,” she says. Folklorama offers the perfect opportunity to welcome the rest of Winnipeg to their house.

“We want to show people who we are and what we’re made of.”

Visit folklorama.ca for tickets to Folklorama pavilions, including the El Salvador Pavilion.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti