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, chipotle aioli sauce, and mustard.

The use of salsa as a table dip was first 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.

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 cruda, “raw sauce”, is an uncooked mixture of chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeño chilies, and cilantro. 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. Houston found sauces contaminated with E. A 2010 paper on salsa food hygiene described refrigeration as “the key” to safe sauces. Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.

Whatever the name, a squirt of red can change everything”. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. Annals of Internal Medicine, June 2002, Vol. Salsa and Guacamole Increasingly Important Causes of Foodborne Disease”. Survival and growth of Salmonella in salsa and related ingredients”. Australia’s Freshest Supermarket All your favourite groceries delivered to your door.

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