While not everyone likes this plant, it can be prepared in a wide variety of recipes to please the most discerning palate.
Salvadoran cuisine includes flowers in its preparations as deeply rooted culinary options, mainly in the interior of the country, where they are a valuable ingredient for their nutritional and economic value.
This is the case of the Erythrina berteroana tree, also called pito tree, which grows spontaneously in very arid areas and is used for fences on farms. However, for many compatriots the value of this lies in its flower, considered a culinary delicacy.
According to information published by the Ministry of Education in the book “Flora Salvadoreña. Volume 5”, it is a sleeping flower, due to the high concentrations of alkaloid and flavonoid chemical compounds, which give it a certain toxicity and generate a sedative effect. In large quantities it can be toxic.
Those fascinated by this food know how to exploit it, in different Salvadoran-style dishes. We share five:
1- Beat the cakes with the egg.
For this delicacy, pitos are cooked and chopped. Next, the cakes are prepared and then wrapped in the egg. You can add minced meat and salt to taste.
Read also: What does the spoon taste like? An exotic seasonal fruit in El Salvador
2- Whistle with the egg
Another common way is to make whistles with eggs or just tomato. These are cooked and then fried in tomato and egg sauce.
3- Pitos in bean soup
Pitos add a touch of flavor to bean soup. They are added as another ingredient.
4- Whistle in alguashte
In this case the whistles are cooked, the cakes are minced and prepared and then wrapped in the egg. Finally they are put in the alguashte, previously ground in a blender with tomato, onion and chilli. Salt is added to taste.
5- Pitos in Indian Chicken Soup.
While, in the chicken broth they are only incorporated in the preparation, like vegetables.