Salsa (sauce)
Salsa is a (usually somewhat spicy) sauce typical of Latin American cuisine, particularly uncooked sauces or dips. Salsa comes from the Spanish word for sauce, from Latin salsa of the same meaning, from sal, "salt". Related words: "saline", "salad". It is usually pronounced IPA /'sɑłsə/ or /'sæłsə/ in English, /'salsa/ in the original Spanish.
Well-known salsas:
- Salsa roja (="red sauce"): used as a condiment in Mexican and southwestern U.S. cuisine, and usually made with tomatoes, chile peppers, onion, garlic and fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves.
- Salsa cruda (="raw sauce") or Pico de gallo (="rooster/cockerel beak"): made with raw tomatoes, onions, peppers and other coarsely chopped raw ingredients.
- Salsa verde (="green sauce"): made with husk tomatoes, also known as tomatillos. Sauces made with tomatillos are usually cooked.
- Salsa brava (="wild sauce"): When put on top of potato wedges, it makes the dish patatas bravas, typical of tapas bars in Catalonia. Salsa brava is usually a mayonnaise-tabasco mix.
- Guacamole: any sauce whose main ingredient is avocado is usually called guacamole
There are many other salsas, both traditional and nouveau: for instance, some are made with mint, pineapple, or mango.
See also
Salsa (music), Salsa (dance)
