Salsa verde () is a type of spicy, green sauce in Mexican cuisine based on tomatillo and green chili peppers.
The tomatillo-based Mexican salsa verde dates to the Aztec Empire, as documented by the Spanish physician Francisco Hernández, and is distinct from the various medieval European parsley-based green sauces.
In the cuisines of Mexico and the Southwestern United States, it is often served with Mexican or Tex-Mex style dishes like enchiladas and chicharrón (pork rinds). The version typical of New Mexico consists mostly of green chile rather than tomatillos.
Types
This green sauce comes in subtypes: cooked sauce, in which the ingredients are cooked and then ground; roasted salsa, in which the elements are roasted on a and then ground; raw sauce, in which ingredients are ground and eaten without cooking; and a combination in which some of the elements are cooked. A or a blender can be used for the grinding process. Cooking or roasting the tomatillo will enhance the flavor, providing a sweeter salsa. After the sauce is prepared, it can be cooked again in a pan with a little oil.
See also
Green sauce
Pipián (sauce), another Mexican green sauce
Salsa roja
References
Bayless, Rick; Mexico One Plate at a Time (2000); Muñoz Zurita, Ricardo; Pequeño Larousee de la Gastronomía Mexicana (2013);