30 Days, Plenty of Flavor!
Thirty days is enough time to get curious. Start with a pupusa, follow it with an empanada, and somewhere along the way, learn a little more about the people and traditions behind what’s on the plate.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15 and continues through October 15, celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities. In North Carolina, the month offers plenty of ways to participate, and the dinner table makes a particularly good starting point.
A Statewide Table
In Goldsboro, Los Fogones specializes in Peruvian fusion cuisine, while Asheville’s A Taste of El Salvador has served Salvadoran food since 2015. Its menu includes pupusas, tamales, carne asada, and pork chicharrones, giving western North Carolina diners several routes into Salvadoran cooking.
The map keeps expanding from there. Cali Colombian Restaurant brings Colombian cooking to Charlotte and Raleigh, while Che Empanadas serves handmade Argentinian-style baked empanadas at two Raleigh locations.
Closer to the coast, Wilmington’s Sabor Hispano specializes in Honduran food. Sabor Latino in Greenville adds another eastern North Carolina stop to the month’s dining possibilities.
Taken together, these restaurants make one point especially clear: “Latin food” is far too broad a label to tell you much about what’s for dinner. Peruvian, Salvadoran, Colombian, Argentinian, and Honduran kitchens each bring distinct dishes and traditions to North Carolina communities.
Keep Exploring After Dinner
Food may be an easy introduction, but Hispanic Heritage Month leaves room to dig deeper. Cultural festivals, live music and dance, museum programming, library events, Hispanic-owned businesses, and community celebrations can offer a fuller look at the many histories gathered under the Hispanic and Latino umbrella.
That makes the month less about checking off a single celebration and more about paying attention to what’s already around us. September 15 can begin with an unfamiliar dish and lead to a new artist, musician, business owner, or tradition by October 15.
Better still, none of that curiosity needs to expire when the calendar flips. These restaurants, businesses, and cultural traditions are part of North Carolina communities the other 335 days, too.
Find more places to explore the state’s Latin American food scene in the Guide to North Carolina Latin restaurants directory: https://www.guidetonc.com/latin-restaurants
