Many traditional taco sauces are made out of tomatoes.
Many kinds of sauces, including salsas, are used to season not only tacos but any meats or vegetables. Salsas, as a combination of tomatoes, chiles and beans, date to the Aztec Empire through the writings of Bernardino de Sahagun, a missionary sent to Mexico in 1529. Spaniards brought ingredients such as tomatillos and chiles back to Europe and salsas spread around the world. There are a number of traditional sauces and salsas served with tacos in the 21st century, including salsa cruda, salsa verde and mole poblano de guajolote. Multiple types of salsas for tacos can also be found in American grocery stores.
Classic Salsa Ingredients
Classic salsas contain a small number of traditional ingredients: tomatoes, green chiles, garlic, onion, lime, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whether a salsa is spicy depends on the use of spicy chiles in the recipe. To make a classic salsa, ingredients must be mixed together and allowed to sit so that the flavors mix adequately. A traditional salsa is also made of only the freshest ingredients.
Pico de Gallo
Referred to as "tomato salsa" at many restaurants of the 21st century, pico de gallo is often also known as salsa cruda. Characterized by uniformly chopped ingredients -- tomatoes, onions, chiles and various spices -- pico de gallo serves as a cold condiment at many Mexican tables.
Salsas Sold in Aztec Markets
Bernardino de Sahagun also reported that foods were sold in Aztec markets with a wide variety of condiments, including sauces with squash seeds, tomatoes and many different of chiles -- smoked, hot, yellow and mild red -- sauces of herbs and avocado sauces.
Traditional Mexican Salsa Verde
Salsa verde is a thin salsa that is green in color. The Mexican Recipes website contains a recipe for traditional Mexican salsa verde. This recipe contains water, salt, lime or lemon juice, coriander, olive oil, garlic, green chiles, tomatillos and onions.
Mole Poblano de Guajolote
As legend has it, this salsa was invented by Sister Andrea de la Asuncion, a Dominican nun in Puebla in the 17th century. The mole poblano de guajolote recipe once contained almost 100 ingredients but has since been simplified to around 20 ingredients. This sauce is commonly served at celebrations such as weddings, baptisms and birthdays.
Taco Seasoning Sauces in Grocery Stores
In the centuries since the Spaniards discovered salsas in the Americas, salsas have become popular sauces around the world. In the United States, many types of salsas can be found in glass bottles in grocery stores, including tomato and corn salsas, and salsas with different types of beans. These salsas are marked as being mild, medium or hot. Packages of taco seasoning mixes sold at grocery stores can also be mixed into taco meats and vegetables at home.
Tags: 21st century, around world, Bernardino Sahagun, green chiles, grocery stores, ingredients tomatoes