Pico De Gallo otherwise known as Salsa! This is a traditional Mexican side dish and I absolutely love it! I mean what not to love? A wicked combination of fiery chillies and zesty limes. Coupled with the aromatic flavour of Corriander.
Add some salt to the dish and you have a wonderful side dish that dances
An Interesting History
Pico de Gallo’s has a rather interesting history. The best know one or rather the one I like the best! G
Once upon a time in Mexico, People ate Pico de Gallo with their forefinger and thumb as they had no knives and forks. The shape that they made while pinching with there forefinger and thumb was that of a roster. Which the good people of Mexico said looked like the beak of the fighting cock.
Now here is where it gets interesting… The past time of cockfighting back then was very popular and to calm the fighting cock down before a cockfight. The owner of the cock would put the cocks head into his mouth to calm it down. It was this feeling of putting the cockerel head in the mouth which is said to resemble the fieriness of the chillies in the Pico de gallo…
What a story! There are innuendoes everywhere in this story! It’s also probably the only time you could literally say the following sentence at a dinner party and get away with it!
‘Before a cockfight, the owner of the cock would put It in his mouth to calm it down’
So it’s either, the good people of Mexico have an awesome sense of humour or that someone has done a really good job of fooling the world. Either way it’s a pretty damn good story!
The other rather more boring version of Pico de Gallo
There is one school of thought from a “culture expert” who says (in a rather ‘stiff’ voice) The literal translation is inaccurate and it should be taken to mean ‘confetti of food.
I prefer the first version so much better! I’m sure you do as well. well, that is you are an ‘up and coming’ expert in regional Mexican culture… I didn’t think you were either!
Jokes aside, Pico de Gallo is a side dish that goes really well with a lot of Mexican dishes. Tacos, Fajitas, Tosdaoes, Quesadilla’s and enchiladas are to name a few.
Recipe
The recipe for Pico de Gallo is really easy and requires nearly no cooking. I like to peel my tomatoes before I chop them. I find it improves the overall texture by making it softer. Also, I like to use vine-ripened tomatoes and not the standard ones you get in the supermarkets. as vine-ripened tomatoes will contain a lot more flavour which will make your pico de gallo taste nicer!
So for this dish you will need;
- 4 Vine-ripened Tomatoes
- A small bunch of Corriander
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- The juice of a lemon
- Salt
- Half and Ancho Chilli (if you can’t get an Ancho chilli any chilli will be fine experts will say you shouldn’t but we all know what I think of experts!)
That is it! The how to Video for this salsa is below so do check that out. Oh and if subscribe to my youtube while you are there I would be really grateful!