Salsa (food)

A salsa is any of a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Mexican and Mexican-American foods, and as dips for tortilla chips. These sauces may be raw or cooked, and they are usually served at room temperature.

Even though the word salsa means any kind of sauce in Spanish, in English it especially talks about Mexican table sauces. The most common ones are the chunky tomato-and-chili-based pico de gallo and salsa verde.

Tortilla chips with salsa are a common appetizer in Mexican-American restaurants, though they are not as popular in Mexico itself. As Diana Kennedy wrote in The Cuisines of Mexico, a dish of sauce or relish is just as important to the Mexican table as salt, pepper, and mustard are to ours.

History

Mexican restaurants in the United States helped make salsa popular as a dip. In the 1980s, tomato-based Mexican salsas became very popular. By 1992, people in the United States were spending more money on salsa than on tomato ketchup.

Later, new kinds of salsas made with fruit, corn, or black beans started to appear. Since the 2000s, sweet salsas that mix fruits with hot peppers like habanero, Scotch bonnet, and datil have become popular. These are sometimes served with desserts like cheesecakes. In the United States, salsa is also used in marinades, salad dressings, stews, and cooked sauces. It goes well with many dishes, including fish, poultry, meat, baked potatoes, pasta, and pizza.

Types

Salsa is a tasty sauce often used with Mexican cuisine. You can enjoy it with tacos, in soups, or mixed into tamale fillings. One popular type is salsa fresca, made with fresh tomatoes and hot peppers. Another is salsa verde, which uses cooked tomatillos and is great for dipping chilaquiles or enchiladas.

Traditionally, salsas were made with a special tool called a molcajete, but today many people use blenders. Two common kinds are salsa roja, a red sauce with tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, garlic, and cilantro, and salsa cruda, a raw mix of tomatoes, onions, jalapeño chilies, and cilantro.

Importance of proper storage

The WHO says that it’s important to handle and store salsa and other sauces carefully. Many kinds of salsa are served raw and can sometimes grow harmful bacteria if they aren’t kept cold.

Studies have shown that some restaurant sauces have had E. coli. Keeping salsa in the fridge is very important to stay safe. Adding fresh lime juice and fresh garlic can also help prevent bad germs from growing in salsa.