Salsa (food)

{{Infobox food

| name = Salsa

| image = various salsas.jpg

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| caption = A variety of salsas. Clockwise from top: habanero, chipotle, and chimichurri.

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| country =

| region = Mexico

| creator =

| course =

| type = Condiment

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| variations =

| cookbook = Salsa

}}

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. They may be raw or cooked, and are generally served at room temperature.{{cite book |first=Andrew F.|last=Smith|chapter=Salsa|title=Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink|year=2009|isbn=978-0195387094 |page=517|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press}}

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.{{cite web |title=Salsa |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/salsa |website=Cambridge Dictionary |publisher=Cambridge |access-date=8 September 2021 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410050013/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/salsa |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Salsa |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/salsa |website=Collins Dictionary |access-date=8 September 2021 |archive-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322143624/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/salsa |url-status=live }}

Tortilla chips with salsa are a ubiquitous appetizer in Mexican-American restaurants, but not in Mexico itself.{{cite book|first=David|last=Kamp|title=The United States of Arugula. |year=2006|isbn=0767915798|page=310|publisher=Broadway Books }}

{{quote box|align=right|width=35%|A dish of sauce or relish is as indispensable to the Mexican table as our salt, pepper, and mustard.|Diana Kennedy, The Cuisines of Mexico{{cite book|first=Diana|last=Kennedy|author-link=Diana Kennedy|title=The Cuisines of Mexico|year=1972|isbn=0060123443|page=296}}}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/08/27/FDGH41DV331.DTL|title=Ketchup? Catsup? Ke-cap? / Whatever the name, a squirt of red can change everything|work=SFGate|date=27 August 2003|access-date=28 July 2007|archive-date=1 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101014257/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2003/08/27/FDGH41DV331.DTL|url-status=live}}

Image:MangoPineappleSalsa.jpg

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.{{cite book |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |page=644}} 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.{{cite book |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |page=179}}

Types

File:AGV 4558 (21982977281).jpg]]

File:Chorizo and egg burrito with salsa.jpg-and-egg breakfast burrito with salsa]]

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.{{cite book |last=Hoyer |first=Daniel |title=Mayan Cuisine |date=2009 |publisher=Gibbs Smith |isbn=9781423610243 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1mIQL0H25NQC}} 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.{{cite book |last=Adapon |first=Joy |title=Culinary Art and Anthropology |date=2008 |page=114 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781847886064 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OOMRHJ1rOEQC |access-date=2023-03-22 |archive-date=2023-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405115712/https://books.google.com/books?id=OOMRHJ1rOEQC |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/519683/salsa-cruda|title=salsa cruda - food|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}

Importance of proper storage

File:La Hacienda Mexican Grill - Stierch - Sept 2019 06.jpg

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/fs_management/en/surface_decon.pdf |title=Surface decontamination of fruits and vegetables eaten raw: a review |publisher=World Health Organization |author=Larry R. Beuchat |access-date=July 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405051633/http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/fs_management/en/surface_decon.pdf |archive-date=April 5, 2011 }}

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{{Cite journal |url=http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/136/12/884.pdf |title=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. |journal=Annals of Internal Medicine |date=18 June 2002 |volume=136 |issue=12 |pages=884–887 |doi=10.7326/0003-4819-136-12-200206180-00009 |access-date=2006-12-31 |archive-date=2007-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621185004/http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/136/12/884.pdf |url-status=live |last1=Adachi |first1=Javier A. |last2=Mathewson |first2=John J. |last3=Jiang |first3=Zhi-Dong |last4=Ericsson |first4=Charles D. |last5=Dupont |first5=Herbert L. |pmid=12069562 }}

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).{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r100712.htm |title=Salsa and Guacamole Increasingly Important Causes of Foodborne Disease |access-date=July 23, 2010 |archive-date=July 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716164646/http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2010/r100712.htm |url-status=live }}

A 2010 paper on salsa food hygiene described refrigeration as "the key" to safe sauces. This study also found that fresh lime juice (add for a salsa pH of 3.6) and fresh garlic (but not powdered garlic) combined would prevent the growth of Salmonella.{{cite journal |author1=Ma L |author2=Zhang G |author3=Gerner-Smidt P |author4=Tauxe RV |author5=Doyle MP |title=Survival and growth of Salmonella in salsa and related ingredients |journal=J. Food Prot. |volume=73 |issue=3 |pages=434–44 |date=March 2010 |doi=10.4315/0362-028x-73.3.434 |pmid=20202327|doi-access=free }}