salsa mexicana
/salsa meɡsikana/from spelling rulesfeminine
The English phrase "spicy tomato sauce" is translated into Spanish as salsa mexicana. Wiktionary also lists salsa picante and salsita.
Meaning: spicy tomato sauce (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| salsa mexicana | /salsa meɡsikana/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| salsa picante | /salsa pikante/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| salsita | /salˈsita/ | diminutive, feminine |
| salsa para/de totopostes/totopos | feminine |
You can use these phrases to specify the cultural origin, the level of heat or the intended food pairing.
Which one should you use?
The form salsa mexicana specifies a cultural origin, whereas salsa picante focuses specifically on the heat or spiciness of the sauce. If you want to describe a sauce intended to be eaten with tortilla chips, use the phrase salsa para totopos or salsa para/de totopostes/totopos.
How does it change in a sentence?
All the provided forms are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/salsa meɡsikana/
Did you know?
- While English speakers often think of 'salsa' as a specific tomato dip, in Spanish salsa is a general term for any sauce, including mayonnaise or soy sauce.
- In many Spanish-speaking contexts, the word 'salsa' can also refer to a musical genre, such as 'salsa brava', rather than just a food item.
- While we use 'salsa' to mean a tomato sauce, the word's direct ancestor in Latin is 'salsus', which means 'salted'.
Examples in context
- Me encanta bailar salsa. Todas las noches voy a tomar clases de baile.I love dancing salsa. Every night I go to take dance lessons.
- En la fiesta de anoche, pusieron música latina y todos bailaron al ritmo de la salsa.At last night's party, they played Latin music, and everyone danced to the rhythm of salsa.
- ¡Vamos a una discoteca de música tropical! Quiero moverme al son cubano y a la salsa.Let's go to a tropical music nightclub! I want to dance to the rhythm of son cubano and salsa.
- La salsa mexicana está muy buena.The Mexican salsa is very good.
- Me encanta la salsa mexicana con carne.I love Mexican salsa with meat.
- ¿Quieres un poco de salsa mexicana?Do you want some Mexican salsa?
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are eating tacos at a restaurant.
- AlejandroElena, ¿has probado la salsa mexicana?Elena, have you tried the Mexican salsa?
- ElenaNo, ¿está buena?No, is it good?
- AlejandroSí, pero tiene mucha salsa mexicana picante.Yes, but it has a lot of spicy Mexican salsa.
- ElenaPerfecto, me encanta el picante.Perfect, I love spicy food.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salsa” translations and entries salsita, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries picante, salsa, salsita, CC BY-SA 4.0.
