The history of Salsa sauce originated with the Inca people. Salsa (a combination of chili peppers, tomatoes, and other spices) dates back to the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. The Spanish first encountered tomatoes after their conquest of Mexico in 1519-1521, which marked the beginning of the history of Salsa sauce. The Aztec lords combined tomatoes with chili peppers, ground pumpkin seeds and consumed them primarily as a condiment served on turkey, venison, lobster, and fish. This combination was later called salsa by Alonso de Molina in 1571.
Charles E. Erath of New Orleans was the first person in salsa history to begin manufacturing Louisiana pepper extract, a hot red creole pepper puree in 1916. A year later, La Victoria Foods founded Salsa Brava in Los Angeles. .
In Louisiana in 1923, Baumer Foods began manufacturing Crystal Hot Sauce and in 1928 Bruce Foods began manufacturing Original Louisiana Hot Sauce, two brands of salsa sauce that still exist today.
In 1941, Henry Tanklage formed La Victoria Sales Company to market a new line of La Victoria sauce. He introduced the red and green taco and enchilada sauces, the first hot sauce sauces in the U.S. He took over the entire La Victoria operation in 1946, making ten different hot sauces that now cover the entire spectrum of the salsa, including Green Chili Salsa and Red Jalapeña Salsa.
According to the history of hot sauce, sauce making in Texas began in 1947 with David and Margaret Pace and their hot sauce. In 1952, La Victoria Foods introduced the first commercial taco sauce to the US, and in 1955, La Preferida launched a line of sauces.
In 1975, Patti Swidler from Arizona released Desert Rose Salsa. Four years later, in Austin, Texas, Dan Jardine began producing commercial Jardine sauce, giving Austin a reputation in Salsa Sauce history as the hot sauce capital of America. Another Texas company, the El Paso Chili Company, was founded in 1980 by Norma and W. Park Kerr. In 1986, Miguel’s Stowe Away in Vermont launched a sauce line and in April 1986, Sauces & Salsas Ltd. began manufacturing the Montezuma brand of hot pepper sauces and sauces in Ohio.
Between 1985 and 1990, Mexican salsa sales grew by seventy-nine percent; Between 1988 and 1992, the percentage of US households purchasing salsa increased from 16 to 36. By 1992, the top eight salsa manufacturers in salsa history were Pace, Old El Paso, Frito-Lay, Chi-Chi, La Victoria, Ortega, Herdez and Newman’s Own. By 1993, competition from smaller salsa companies was so fierce that Pace, Old El Paso and six other brands saw sales in Texas drop by 3 percent.
The big news in 1994 was the purchase of two of the biggest companies in the fiery food industry. The Numero Uno sauce maker, Pace Foods, was sold to Campbell Soup Company for an astronomical $ 1.1 billion.
Some of the best sauces ever produced in the history of Salsa Sauce
Jose Goldstein’s Garlic Artichoke Sauce contains artichokes from Spain with mouth-watering California garlic. A sure hit with a bag of chips or with your favorite meat. Great with pasta too!
La Paloma Hot Salsa and La Paloma Mild Salsa are the best of their kind. Once you savor the fresh and robust flavor of La Paloma Salsa, you will be hooked.
Scorned Woman Salsa won 1st place at Fancy Food Magazine’s Hot & Spicy Food Show in 1997.
