CAPSULE REPORT: Salsa, which has been America’s favorite condiment since 2000—supplanting ketchup—actually has been a favorite condiment for thousands of years. The chile has been domesticated since about 5200 B.C.E., and tomatoes by 3000 B.C.E. both in Central America. The two were combined into a condiment, which the Conquistadors named “salsa,” or sauce. The spicy sauce gave name to a hot and spicy late 20th century dance related to the mambo...but that’s just the tail end of the story. This is Page 1 of a three-page article. Click on the gold link below to visit other pages.

Information excerpted with permission from TheNibble.com gourmet food magazine. Click on the link to read the entire article.