SAUCES: REGIONAL VARIATIONS (Part 2)

In my last post, I focused on the sauces belonging to French cuisine. In this second part I'll discuss what kind of sauces belong to other countries, such as some American and European countries appart from France, like the UK.

• Mexican sauces: these sauces, commonly known as salsas, are mainly distinguished for being spicy and hot sauces. There are many types, such as:

- Red sauce: it is a red spicy sauce that is served in Tex Mex restaurants. It is very similar to tomato sauce; it only differs in the fact that it has a stronger flavour.

- Pico de gallo sauce: it is a fresh, uncooked condiment made from chopped, tomato, onion and chilis. The term pico de gallo is Spanish for rooster break. It has that name because originally it was eaten with the thumb and forefinger, and the way it was eaten resembled a pecking rooster.

-Green sauce: this kind of sauce is very typical in Mexican cuisine. It usually contains tomatillos, jalapeños or other chiles, white onion and lime. Green sauce, or, as it is known in Mexico: salsa verde, is normally a spicy sauce, as it happens to many Mexican sauces. It is usually served with tacos, grilled pork and grilled meat.

-Wild sauce: this sauce, also known as salsa brava, is a lightly spicy sauce meda with tomato, garlic, onion, and flavored with paprika, which is a kind of spice. It is mainly applied to many kinds of meat.

• British sauces: this kind of sauces are used either on meat or on salads. There are many different sauces in British cuisine. The most well-known are:

- Gravy: it is a sauce made from the juices that belong to meat or vegetables during cooking. In the UK, it refers to an only kind of sauce, but in North America, there are many varieties within it. The gravy may be further coloured and flavoured with salt and caramel colouring. It is eaten with pork, chicken, lamb, etc.

As a curiosity, the word gravy is used in different cultural contexts. For example, it is used as a synonim of the word fine, in sentences like: "Don't worry, we are gravy".

As an idiom, it is included in: "gravy train", which means "lucrative effort".

-Bread sauce: it is a warm or cold sauce made with bread. It is usually served along with main meals. It has its origins in the Middle Ages; in fact, it is the only survivor of the medieval bread sauces. It normally accompanies dishes such as chicken or turkey. It is easy to prepare, and the ingredients are very straightforward.

There are many, many kinds of sauces in the world, depending on where you are. Some of them have a huge tradition behind, and, who knows? maybe some people are creating a new one while you are reading this post: the combination of ingredients is practically infinite.