Spanish word

salsa

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈsalsa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounsauce

Example

Pon salsa en mi taco, por favor.

Please put sauce on my taco.

Illustration for salsa (sauce)

More examples

¿Traes la salsa de tomate para la pasta?

Can you bring the tomato sauce for the pasta?

Core concept

Seasoned liquid or paste used to add flavor to a dish.

Common phrases

  • salsa de tomate

    tomato sauce

  • salsa de ajo

    garlic sauce

  • servir salsa

    serve with sauce

Similar words

aderezo: Thin or creamy dressing applied to salads and cold dishes to enhance their taste.
aliño: Simple oil-based mixture used to quickly season greens or cooked vegetables.
condimento: Flavoring element (salt, spice, or herb) mixed in or sprinkled to season food.

Definition in Spanish

Condimento líquido o pastoso que se añade a los platos para dar sabor, por ejemplo salsas de tomate, picantes o de crema.

Word origin

Spanish salsa comes from Latin salsus 'salted' via Old Spanish and is cognate with Italian salsa, and it denotes a seasoned liquid or paste used to flavor food.

Usage tips

  • Because salsa also names a dance and music style, speakers often add a modifier (for example salsa picante or la salsa de tomate) when they mean the sauce.

Other meanings

  • salsa musicnoun

Related words

  • salsearseasonverb
  • salseadosaucedadjective

Word lists with this word