Pupusas, El Salvador's beloved stuffed griddle cakes, made their Tucson Unified School District debut in March, landing on high school lunch lines as the district pushes to bring more cultural diversity to the cafeteria.

Pupusas are thick, handmade cakes typically stuffed with savory fillings, including cheese, refried beans or pork. They serve as the national dish of El Salvador and are a popular street food around the world.

The pupusa was offered as a limited-time menu item in high schools across the district on March 10 and 31.

"We have the bread and butter items that kids love, such as the pizzas we offer," said Lindsay Aguilar, director of TUSD food services. "However our development team is constantly looking to develop menu items that celebrate the diversity of our students, and introduce students to new foods."

The pupusa is part of a broader effort to diversify the district's menu with local ingredients and international flavors. TUSD already offers items like orange chicken and crunchy beef tacos, but this marks the first time El Salvadoran cuisine has appeared on the menu.

"I first saw (the pupusa) at a food show I attended in early fall, so I was thrilled when the vendor that made them reached out to me," Aguilar said.

But adding new items to the district's menu is no easy task and requires several steps.

Student feedback and approval is a key factor in what items make it onto school lunch menus, with the department hosting "traveling menu roadshows" at different schools across the district to allow students to taste-test new items.

"We have five regions that we rotate through in order to get representation from different geographic areas," Aguilar said. "New items can be slow to start, so we'll encourage site supervisors to give free samples. We'll take a look at the participation levels of the dish, which factors into making it a permanent menu item."

In February, the district offered plant-based southwest chili mac for one day at all its elementary and middle schools. TUSD's school lunch menu, which can be found at meals.tusd1.org, is constantly changing. As new foods come and go, food services must ensure that each new dish falls in line with state nutrition requirements.

To meet these requirements, food services puts an emphasis on "trying to focus on local foods," including sourcing whole grain bagels from a local farm in Phoenix.

"We are trying to move away from the packaged banana breads and other pastries served at breakfast, and focus on cooking fresh options such as breakfast burritos," Aguilar said.

The pupusa, paired with Mexican rice, guacamole and salsa, was a limited-time item for high school students, but TUSD's food services department is "hoping to expand it to middle and elementary schools."

If next year's menu is any indication, more adventurous options are on the way.

"We're working on birria ramen because it's trendy," Aguilar said.

Gabriel Sadza is a student at University High School and Tucson Spotlight intern.

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