When was salsa first made

Even though the United States is in close proximity to Central America, and has geographical and melting-pot commonalities with that area, salsa and hot sauces were not popular in the U.

Nothing much happened until six decades later when, in , Edmund McIlhenny made a sauce from aged Tabasco peppers, packaged it in used cologne bottles, and sent it to prospective buyers. His Tabasco sauce proved to be a tremendous hit and started a competitive wave of hot sauce products. Following on the success of hot sauces in the United States, salsa was a natural extension for consumers. Salsa began to be manufactured in the U.

Nevertheless, the product proved to be successful and, in , Victoria foods began to manufacture Salsa Brava in Los Angeles. His red and green taco sauce and sweet enchilada sauces proved to be very popular with the American public and inspired a nationwide craze. In fact, his products proved to be so successful that in Tanklage took over the entire La Victoria operation. However the inhabitants of Central America had been mixing up their favorite salsa dishes for many centuries before that.

The Aztecs were one of the first peoples to domesticate the tomato. Their original sauces were a mix of chiles, tomatoes, squash, and beans, among other indigents. The Aztecs passed these traditions on to later cultures in Central America and eventually the United States. In , the first bottled hot sauces made their appearance in Massachusetts. This first sauces were based on Cayenne chiles. In , Tabasco sauce made its debut performance on a small Island a little west of New Orleans.

Tomato is the base of salsa: The wild tomato is indigenous to Ecuador and Peru, but the Aztecs and other Central American nations were the first to domesticate it. The tomatillo—which is not a green tomato but a member of the nightshade family[1] that includes the cape gooseberry their closer relation as well as the tomato—also originated in the Andes, in the area that is now Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

One thing that sets these nightshades apart is their alkaloid content. Alkaloids are harmful nitrogen compounds which, in high quantities, are toxic, causing nausea, diarrhea with vomiting and headaches. In extreme cases they lead to unconsciousness and convulsions to the point of respiratory paralysis. La Victoria Foods and La Preferida followed on the heels of Pace and also started to launch the sales of the sauce to supermarkets.

Texas quickly became the leading state for salsa production. It was not until the s that the craze for salsa really took America by storm according to Acapulcos. By the s it was estimated that 36 percent of households across the country regularly purchased and stocked their kitchen coffers with the red sauce. At this time period, the country also experienced an upswing in Mexican and Spanish restaurants. We here at Sweet Kickin Salsa are sure happy that this shift happened! Who wants to live in a world without salsa?!

Unlike many condiments, salsa is fun for you to make. You can chop and dice your own fresh ingredients to create the taste that you enjoy. It can also be frozen for later use.