Salsa is the
Spanish,
Arabic, and
Italian word that can refer to any type of
sauce. In
American English it usually refers to the
spicy, often
tomato- or
corn-based
hot sauces typical of
Mexican cuisine, particularly those used as
dips. In
British English, the word typically refers to
salsa cruda, which is common in Mexican, Spanish or Italian cuisine.
The word salsa is derived from the Latin salsa ("salty"), from sal ("salt"). Saline and salad are related words. It is usually pronounced ['s??ls?] by English speakers; in Spanish it is pronounced ['salsa].
Mexican salsas were traditionally produced using the mortar and pestle-like molcajete, although blenders are now more commonly used. Well-known salsas include
There are many other salsas, both traditional and nouveau for instance, some are made with mint, pineapple, or mango.
