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Salsa

A variety of salsas. clockwise from top: habanero, chipotle, chimichurri.
Type	Condiment
Region or state	Mexico
Main ingredients	Varies
Media: Salsa

Salsa encompasses a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Mexican and Mexican-American foods, and as dips for tortilla chips. They may be raw or cooked, and are generally served at room temperature.

Though the word salsa means any kind of sauce in Spanish, in English, it refers specifically to these Mexican table sauces, especially to the chunky tomato-and-chili-based pico de gallo, as well as to salsa verde.

Tortilla chips with salsa are a ubiquitous appetizer in Mexican-American restaurants, but not in Mexico itself.

A dish of sauce or relish is as indispensable to the Mexican table as our salt, pepper, and mustard.

History

The use of salsa as a table dip was popularized by Mexican restaurants in the United States. In the 1980s, tomato-based Mexican-style salsas gained in popularity. In 1992, the dollar value of salsa sales in the United States exceeded those of tomato ketchup.

Tomato-based salsas later found competition from salsas made with fruit, corn, or black beans. Since the 2000s sweet salsas combining fruits with peppers like habanero, Scotch bonnet and datil have grown in popularity and are served with frozen dessert, cheesecakes, and pound cakes. In the United States, salsa is used in marinades, salad dressings, stews, and cooked sauces. In addition to accompanying various fish, poultry, and meat dishes, it is also used as a condiment for baked potatoes, pasta dishes, and pizza.

Types

Salsa is a common ingredient in Mexican cuisine, served as a condiment with tacos, stirred into soups and stews, or incorporated into tamale fillings. Salsa fresca is fresh salsa made with tomatoes and hot peppers. Salsa verde is made with cooked tomatillos and is served as a dip or sauce for chilaquiles, enchiladas, and other dishes. Chiltomate is a widely used base sauce made of tomatoes and chiles. The type of pepper used for chiltomate varies by region, with fresh green chiles being more common than habanero in Chiapas. Tamales are often identified according to the type of salsa they are filled with, either salsa verde, salsa roja, salsa de rajas, or salsa de mole.

Mexican salsas were traditionally produced using the mortar and pestle–like molcajete, although blenders are now used. Mexican salsas include:

• Salsa roja, one of the two most common and well known types of salsa, "red sauce", is used as a condiment in Mexican and Southwestern (U.S.) cuisines; usually includes cooked tomatoes, chili peppers, onion, garlic, and fresh cilantro (coriander).
• Salsa cruda, "raw sauce", is an uncooked mixture of chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeño chilies, and cilantro.

Importance of proper storage

The WHO says care should be taken in the preparation and storage of salsa and any other types of sauces, since many raw-served varieties can act as growth media for potentially dangerous bacteria, especially when unrefrigerated.

In 2002, a study by the University of Texas–Houston found sauces contaminated with E. coli in:

• 66% of the sauces from restaurants tested in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
• 40% of those from restaurants tested in Houston, Texas

In 2010, the CDC reported that 1 in 25 foodborne illnesses between 1998 and 2008 was traced back to restaurant sauces (carelessly prepared or stored).

A 2010 paper on salsa food hygiene described refrigeration as "the key" to safe sauces. This study also found that fresh lime juice and fresh garlic (but not powdered garlic) would prevent the growth of Salmonella.

See also

• Ajika
• Dipping sauce
• Hot sauce
• Mole (sauce)
• List of condiments
• List of Mexican dishes
• Matbucha
• Qalayet bandora
• Sofrito

References

1. Smith, Andrew F. (2009). "Salsa". Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 517. ISBN 978-0195387094.
2. "Salsa". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
3. "Salsa". Collins Dictionary. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
4. Kamp, David (2006). The United States of Arugula. Broadway Books. p. 310. ISBN 0767915798.
5. Kennedy, Diana (1972). The Cuisines of Mexico. p. 296. ISBN 0060123443.
6. "Ketchup? Catsup? Ke-cap? / Whatever the name, a squirt of red can change everything". SFGate. 27 August 2003. Archived from the original on 1 November 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
7. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. p. 644.
8. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. p. 179.
9. Hoyer, Daniel (2009). Mayan Cuisine. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423610243.
10. Adapon, Joy (2008). Culinary Art and Anthropology. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 114. ISBN 9781847886064. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
11. "salsa cruda - food". Encyclopædia Britannica.
12. Larry R. Beuchat. "Surface decontamination of fruits and vegetables eaten raw: a review" (PDF). World Health Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
13. Adachi, Javier A.; Mathewson, John J.; Jiang, Zhi-Dong; Ericsson, Charles D.; Dupont, Herbert L. (18 June 2002). "Javier A. Adachi, John J. Mathewson, Zhi-Dong Jiang, Charles D. Ericsson, and Herbert L. DuPont. Annals of Internal Medicine, June 2002, vol. 136, pp. 884–887" (PDF). Annals of Internal Medicine. 136 (12): 884–887. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-136-12-200206180-00009. PMID 12069562. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
14. "Salsa and Guacamole Increasingly Important Causes of Foodborne Disease". Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
15. Ma L; Zhang G; Gerner-Smidt P; Tauxe RV; Doyle MP (March 2010). "Survival and growth of Salmonella in salsa and related ingredients". J. Food Prot. 73 (3): 434–44. doi:10.4315/0362-028x-73.3.434. PMID 20202327.

External links

• U.S. National Center for Home Food Preservation – Salsas
• Salsa Recipes

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Sauces	Agre dulce Agrodolce Aioli Barbecue sauce Bigarade sauce Brown sauce Buffalo sauce Cheese sauce Alfredo sauce Caruso sauce Cheddar sauce Cheez Whiz Fondue Mornay sauce Nacho cheese Chili sauce Chimichurri Cocktail sauce Colo-colo Crema Caruru Dabu-dabu Fish sauce Fritessaus Fry sauce Garum Gastrique Gravy Hot sauce Latik Khrenovina Lechon sauce Marie Rose sauce Mayonnaise Kewpie Kielecki Miracle Whip Mignonette sauce Mild sauce Monkey gland sauce Mumbo sauce Oyster sauce Peanut sauce Pearà Pesto Pistou Remoulade Salsa golf Salsa verde Satsivi Steak sauce Tartar sauce Tatbila Teriyaki sauce Tiparos Tkemali Tomato sauce Vincotto XO sauce Zingara sauce
Dips	Ajika Baba ghanoush Chile con queso Duck sauce Duqqa Garlic chive flower sauce Guacamole Hogao Honey dill Hummus Muhammara Nam chim Nam phrik Nước chấm Skyronnes Sweet chili sauce Toum Tzatziki Zhug
Pickles and preserves	Amba Atchara Cheong Chutney Green mango chutney Curtido Encurtido Fruit preserves Gari Horseradish Ljutenica Pepper jelly Piccalilli Pickled cucumber Pickled fruit Relish Chicago-style relish Sauerkraut Kimchi Sumbala Taba ng talangka Tomato jam Watermelon rind preserves
Spreads and pastes	Ajvar Anchovy paste Bagoong Biber salçası Beurre Maître d'Hôtel Chili paste Chrain Coconut jam Fish paste Gochujang Liver spread Kyopolou Maafe Malidzano Meat extract Bovril Murri Nut butter Palapa Pindjur Roe Caviar Sahawiq Tapai Wasabi Yeast extract Marmite Vegemite Zacuscă
Oils and liquids	Chili oil Halford Leicestershire Table Sauce Mustard oil Olive oil Patis Perilla oil Ponzu Salmoriglio Sesame oil Soy sauce Soup soy sauce Sweet soy sauce Toyomansi Syrup Worcestershire sauce Tonkatsu sauce
Spices and powders	Asín tibuok Chipotle Crushed red pepper Gomashio MSG Nutritional yeast Paprika Popcorn seasoning Salt and pepper Tekka Za'atar
Salads	Carolina style Coleslaw Kachumbari Kachumber Salsa Pico de gallo Salsa criolla
Dressings	Blue cheese dressing French dressing Ginger dressing Green goddess dressing Italian dressing Louis dressing Mayfair salad dressing Ranch dressing Russian dressing Salad cream Tahini Thousand Island Vinaigrette Wafu dressing
Ketchups	Banana ketchup Curry ketchup Fruit ketchup Mushroom ketchup
Mustards	Dijon mustard Honey mustard Karashi Kasundi Mostarda Spicy brown mustard Creole mustard Sweet mustard Tecuci mustard Tewkesbury mustard Turun sinappi Yellow mustard
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v t e Mexican cuisine
List of Mexican dishes
Soups and stews	Birria Caldo de pollo Caldo de queso Caldo de siete mares Caldo tlalpeño Caldo Xóchitl Chileatole Clemole Cocido Lime soup Manchamanteles Menudo Mole de olla Pozole Sopa de fideo Sopa de nopal Tortilla soup
Rice and pasta dishes	Arroz a la tumbada Arroz blanco Arroz negro Arroz poblano Green spaghetti Arroz rojo Morisqueta
Bean dishes	Borracho beans Frijoles charros Frijoles negros Frijoles Puercos Refried beans
Egg dishes	Huevos a la mexicana Huevos divorciados Huevos motuleños Huevos rancheros Machacado con huevo
Vegetable dishes	Chile relleno Chiles en escabeche Chiles en nogada Chipotle Elote Esquites Guasanas Nopal asado Rajas con crema Romeritos Tortita de papa
Meat dishes	Al pastor Barbacoa Cabrito Discada Entomatada Mixiote Moronga Pastel azteca Relleno negro Tripas Poultry Arroz con pollo Patitas Escabeche oriental Mole poblano Pollo motuleño Tinga de pollo Pork Adobada Calabacitas con puerco Carne de chango Carnitas Chicharrón en salsa Chileajo de cerdo Chilorio Chorizo Cochinita pibil Cueritos Poc chuc Beef Alambre Aporreadillo Albóndigas al chipotle Beef brain Beef tongue Cabeza Carne a la tampiqueña Carne asada Carne seca Criadillas Machaca Milanesa Pachola Picadillo Puntas Quesobirria Salpicón Tinga de res Seafood Aguachile Cahuamanta Camarones al ajillo Ceviche Huachinango a la Veracruzana Mixmole de pescado Mojarra frita Pan de cazón Pescadito Pescado al ajillo Pulpo a la campechana
Other protein dishes	Chahuis Chapulines Escamoles Huitlacoche Jumiles Maguey worm
Cheese dishes	Chicharrón de queso Quesadilla Queso en salsa Queso flameado
Antojitos	Empalme Enchilada Guajolota Nachos Quesadilla Taco Taquito Corn dough Cazuelita Chalupa Chilaquiles Chimichanga Chochoyote Corn tortilla Corunda Doblada Duros Gordita Huarache Molote Panucho Papadzules Piedra Salbut Sope or Memela Tamale Tlacoyo Tlayuda Tostada Totopo Wheat dough Burrito Cemita Gringas Mollete Pambazo Paste Sincronizada Torta Wheat tortilla
Sauces and condiments	Adobo Mole Mole blanco Mole poblano Mole verde Recado rojo Salsa Salsa verde
Desserts and sweets	Agave syrup Alegría Alfajor Arroz con leche Bionico Brazo gitano Cajeta de Celaya Capirotada Chongos zamoranos Churros Cocada Coyotas Flan de leche Dulce de leche Fried ice cream Mango con chile Marquesita Mazapán Nicuatole Orejas Panela Polvorón Tres leches cake Turrón
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