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Today, we're here with author and chef Carla Vasquez.
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Can you tell us what we're making today?
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Of course. So today we are actually making Fresco de Chan
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So this is kind of what I like to think of
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it as the Salvadoran version of Kool Aid.
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So it's inspired by a drink called Fres in El Salvador.
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And this is something that after school,
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you come home, your grandmother's got Fresco de cha and she's
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usually made it with Ferres top.
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And so because we're L A California,
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we're known for our produce.
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We're going to be using fresh strawberries.
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And so we're going to also have some lemons and of course
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it's called Fresco de Chan,
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which is the chia seeds.
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Yes. So we have some sugar,
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of course. And then we have some water.
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So it's very straightforward and very user friendly.
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A great starting point for anyone who wants to try Asabi beverage
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I think we're going to have you both squeeze some lemons
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So we have some quartered lemons and we have a bowl
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here. So if you want to just start squeezing some of
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the lemon juice. Ok.
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Sorry, I just started going for it.
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I'm excited. I like that energy and we keep that the
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seeds inside. We can probably get a little spoon and scoop
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it out. So this is actually one of the recipes that
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did not make it into the box.
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So this is a special recipe we're getting here.
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This is, cannot be found anywhere else.
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But Lincoln Bio. Yes.
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100%. And it's so crazy because when I started this project
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a lot of people said,
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oh, well, there's not much to Salvadoran food.
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You know, what else is there other than Pupu says?
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Right? Yes, it was a lot of nose in this
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almost nine year journey.
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And yes, this is baby.
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Babies are cooked in nine months.
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You cooked a 99 year baby beautiful book.
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And why did it take so long for it to come to
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fruit? Yeah, it's a great question.
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And it was probably a lot of misconceptions about Salvadoran food.
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You know, some people would say where in Mexico is
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El Salvador? Or they'll say like,
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oh, but El Salvador is so small.
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You know, and I had even other Latinos who would say
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Carla, the only good cuisines of Latin America are Peruvian Mexican
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and maybe the Caribbean,
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I take offense to that.
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So many fighting words,
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it was a lot and I really wanted to make sure I
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meet space on the cookbook bookshelf,
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you know, because when I got married I was like,
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jo se mi. So I want to make these recipes,
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but I didn't know how,
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and that's why I started with my grandmother.
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And so that's why there's recipes and stories of 25 women who
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survived the civil war and,
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you know, their stories and their recipes are alimento to me
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And that makes sense why it took so long.
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You really wanted to honor those stories,
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those people. And what,
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what are you doing now?
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Yes. So because the fresco de chan requires a syrup and
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we're making it. So I have the strawberries in here and
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I've added some sugar.
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Actually, how much sugar do you put?
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Depending on the amount I have about a cup and a half
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this is a beautiful cover,
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it's stunning. Can you tell us about it?
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One of the first things I said to my editor was I
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don't want pupusas on the cover and the room kind of got
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yeah, it wasn't necessarily a pushback,
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but let's just see what happens.
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listen, I'm always flexible,
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but there was an opportunity here and I'm so glad we took
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it because one of the things that I love about Salvadoran cuisine
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is that we eat a lot of edible flowers and we got
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to include three flowers on the cover that are native to El
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Salvador. I didn't know that about El Salvador.
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Yes. Yes. You have La Flor de Loroco,
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Then we have La Fleur de PAA,
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which is that one right there?
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That's the recipe in the book.
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And then we have La Flor de PTO,
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which is the one in the little basket.
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Yes. Yes. So this was not actually on the shot
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list. When you do a cookbook shoot,
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it's a huge production and you have to plan every shot and
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And it was the food stylist who said,
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hey, I have some botanicals that they're not gonna look so
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good tomorrow. Maybe let's take a photo.
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And as soon as I saw it,
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I thought like that's it.
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That's it. That's your baby.
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I love it. And so I guess I'm a Colombiana.
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where's the love for everyone else's cuisine?
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Why don't we get that attention?
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I'm a food historian also.
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And I think some of that,
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what I've learned is where you sit is where you stand,
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right where your community starts and how the story starts can really
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determine how a community will flourish.
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And Mexico's right there,
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there's proximity, right?
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But there's a long history with the land as well.
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Yeah. And El Salvador,
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it's a country that's a little further away.
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It's much smaller than Mexico.
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and we do use similar ingredients,
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but I always like to tell people,
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you know, you can't say Salvadoran cuisine is the same as
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Mexican because when your mom gets your name wrong and calls you
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your sister's name, you get upset.
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I'm not Claudia, you know,
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or whatever it is because you have your name.
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Yes. Absolutely. All right.
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So I hear it's time to mash,
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what are we doing next?
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So I'm gonna be using my wooden spoon to mash some of
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the strawberries that have softened.
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So we're just gonna get in here.
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All right. So I'm mashing this and it's looking better and
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you know, we're adding the red syrup in here.
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That looks amazing. So I'm gonna give this a nice stir
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So now this is kind of a little bit of a
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controversy with, with some hooks,
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but we love a little razzle da controversy.
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Some folks say it should not be sour,
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but there should be some acid and strawberries are already acidic,
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right? But we've added the sugar and so we always crave
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a little balance even in a beverage.
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So I'm going to just add a little bit here and look
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at your hard work being put to use the lemon as you
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squeezed. I feel seen,
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I feel heard. I feel Yeah.
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So can I serve you a glass,
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please do it? So let me reach here.
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It's like the Salvadorian boba kind of little tiny,
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Hopefully we're good on sugar here.
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OK? So thankfully this was put in the fridge.
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So it's nice and cool.
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But you can definitely add some ice to it and enjoy it
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like that. So why don't we?
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Mm And this was fresh Strawberries,
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period. This is good.
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Thank you so much for sharing your story.
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This book is beautiful.
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Tell us more where we can get it.
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you can find it anywhere,
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wherever books are sold.
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you independent bookseller and it's it is out as of yesterday.
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So your baby has been born.
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Yes. And where can we find you at?
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Any social media? I'm at at Carla TV or at Salvi
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Thank you so much for being here today.
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