Mexican Salsa and Sauce Varieties
Salsa is a Mexican condiment with tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and spices. Sauce is a thicker salsa used as a dip. In Mexico, salsa roja (red sauce) is served at restaurants before meals with tortilla chips. There are 6 types of salsa:
- Salsa de chile pasilla: pasilla chili peppers, garlic, white onions, water, and salt.
- Salsa picada: a tomato-based sauce, also known as salsa mexicana.
- Salsa bandera: tomatoes, onions, and green peppers resembling Mexico’s flag colors.
- Pico de gallo: uniformly chopped tomatoes and more peppers than typical salsa.
- Salsa de chamoy: a sweet and spicy sauce.
- Mole: made from chili peppers, chocolate, spices, and seeds.
Differences Between Salsa, Pico de Gallo, and Mole
Salsa and pico de gallo differ in that salsa can use cooked or canned tomatoes while pico de gallo is always raw. Mole sauce takes hours to make, needing spices toasted and ground along with charred peppers and long simmering. Its depth comes from chocolate and its heat from different chili peppers. Mole works well as a meat marinade. Pico de gallo meaning "rooster’s beak" matches Mexico’s flag colors. It tops tacos with its fresh, spicy flavor.
Origins and Usage of Mexican Sauces
Mexican sauces trace back to the Aztecs with intense flavors from sweet to smoky to spicy, used as marinades, dips, and seasonings.