| The history of Salsa sauce originated with the Inca | | | | Margaret Pace and their picante sauce. In 1952, La |
| people. Salsa (combination of chilies, tomatoes and | | | | Victoria Foods introduced the first commercial taco |
| other spices) can be traced to the Aztecs, Mayans | | | | sauce in US and in 1955, La Preferida launched a line |
| and Incas. The Spaniards first encountered tomatoes | | | | of salsas. |
| after their conquest of Mexico in 1519-1521, which | | | | In 1975, Patti Swidler of Arizona launched Desert Rose |
| marked the beginning of the history of Salsa sauce. | | | | Salsa. Four years later, in Austin (Texas), Dan Jardine |
| Aztec lords combined tomatoes with chili peppers, | | | | began producing Jardine's commercial salsa, giving |
| ground squash seeds and consumed them mainly as a | | | | Austin the reputation in the history of Salsa Sauce as |
| condiment served on turkey, venison, lobster, and fish. | | | | the hot sauce capital of America. Another Texas |
| This combination was subsequently called salsa by | | | | company, the El Paso Chili Company, was started in |
| Alonso de Molina in 1571. | | | | 1980 by Norma and W. Park Kerr. In 1986, Miguel's |
| Charles E. Erath of New Orleans was the first person | | | | Stowe Away in Vermont launched a salsa line and in |
| in salsa sauce history who began manufacturing | | | | April, 1986, Sauces & Salsas Ltd. began |
| Extract of Louisiana Pepper, Red Hot Creole | | | | manufacturing the Montezuma brand of hot pepper |
| Peppersauce in 1916. A year later, La Victoria Foods | | | | sauces and salsas in Ohio. |
| started Salsa Brava in Los Angeles. | | | | Between 1985 and 1990, Mexican sauce sales grew |
| In Louisiana in 1923, Baumer Foods began | | | | seventy-nine percent; between 1988 and 1992, the |
| manufacturing Crystal Hot Sauce and in 1928 Bruce | | | | percentage of American households buying salsa |
| Foods started making Original Louisiana Hot Sauce - | | | | increased from 16 to 36. By 1992, the top eight salsa |
| two salsa sauce brands that are still in existence. | | | | manufacturers in the history of salsa sauce were |
| In 1941, Henry Tanklage formed La Victoria Sales | | | | Pace, Old El Paso, Frito-Lay, Chi-Chi's, La Victoria, |
| Company to market a new La Victoria salsa line. He | | | | Ortega, Herdez, and Newman's Own. By 1993, |
| introduced red and green taco, and enchilada sauces - | | | | competition from smaller salsa companies was so |
| the first of salsa hot sauces in US. He took over the | | | | fierce that Pace, Old El Paso, and six other brands |
| entire La Victoria operation in 1946, which | | | | saw Texas sales decline three percent. |
| manufactures ten different hot sauces now covering | | | | The big news in 1994 was the buy out of two of the |
| the entire salsa spectrum, including Green Chili Salsa | | | | largest companies in the Fiery Foods Industry. Numero |
| and Red Salsa Jalapeña. | | | | Uno salsa manufacturer, Pace Foods, was sold to |
| According to the hot sauce history, salsa | | | | Campbell Soup Company for an astronomical USD1.1 |
| manufacturing in Texas began in 1947 with David and | | | | billion. |