Our experiences with and writings about pupusas are solely related to Columbus area vendors (and for readers of this Columbus area blog), so if someone of Salvadorean background calls them ‘popusas’ here, who are we to judge? Interestingly, when you google ‘popusa’ there are plenty of places where that spelling comes up on spanish language web pages. It is perhaps not the dominant spelling, but never say never, eh?

Regarding cabeza – I have no doubt that the preparation you describe is a variation that exists, but I don’t believe that that’s necessarily the only preparation.

With that said, your post does make a useful point. The definitions we’ve provided should be regarded as a general primer/guide and not as definitive. We generally encourage people to try new things first and ask about them later, but if you need to know exactly what you’re getting, you’ll only know for sure if you ask the people preparing the food.