What do you think of when you think of salsa? If you are like most Americans, the first thing, which comes to mind, is probably the very mild sauces which are available in a jar at any grocery store or convenience store. This tomato-based, mild flavored salsa is indeed a type which you may see in Mexico, but there is a lot more to Mexican salsas than the Americanized variety you can find just about anywhere.
Over the last decade or so, salsa has really caught on with the American palate, managing to overtake ketchup as the best selling condiment in America. The most popular type is the mild tomato-based one discussed above, but there are a lot of different varieties you may want to try. While many are spicier than what you may be familiar with, fear not: there are Mexican salsas for every palate, from the most heat-averse to the most adventurous.
Salsa is the Spanish word for "sauce" and while it conjures a certain type of sauce to our minds, the word is used to refer to all manner of different condiments seen at the table in Mexico and increasingly, the US as well. There are salsa recipes, which are made from many different ingredients.
There are the familiar red-colored tomato based sauces with jalapenos and other chili peppers and herbs, green salsas made from tomatillos; and for those who want something with a little more kick, even green salsas made mostly from hot peppers rather than tomatoes! Some salsas are based on other ingredients such as ground pumpkin seeds or ground dried peppers like pasilla and guajillo peppers.
For those looking for Mexican recipes like a milder Mexican salsa recipe, which offer something, a little bit different, a fruit salsa may be in order. Peach salsas are especially popular, with the sweetness and tartness of the peaches and tomatoes complimenting each other perfectly.
If you would like to make your own fruit salsas, you can experiment with different fruits to come up with your own one of a kind fruit salsa recipe. Mangoes are another very popular fruit for this purpose.
One of the easiest salsas to make is pico de gallo. The name means "rooster's beak" in Spanish and can be made in almost no time at all. You may have tried this salsa yourself in a restaurant; but it is easy and quick to make at home and it is an ideal complement for many Mexican dishes as well as being a great dip for tortilla chips. The recipe is very simple, calling for diced tomato, onion and jalapeno along with cilantro and a little limejuice. It is simplicity itself, but incredibly good.
Since the space we have here is not enough to cover all of the different delicious Mexican salsas and salsa recipes, which there are to try, we hope that this introduction has sparked your interest in exploring these condiments further. It's easy to make your own salsas at home and with some experimentation and a little of your own creative touch, you're certain to come up with some new salsa recipes which can bring an entirely new dimension to your Mexican recipes and any other dishes you choose to serve them with.
Mexican food might conjure up images of hot crunchy tacos, richly flavorful enchiladas, crunchy nachos with melted cheese and jalapeno slices on top or even cleverly spiced Mexican casseroles. Traditional Mexican food is both healthy and easy to make, even for beginner cooks, so why not try out a Mexican dish?
Check out www.MexicanFoodRecipes.org
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