Mangoes, balsamic vinegar spice Salsa Fest

Thousands of people from throughout the Valley enjoyed the sun, free chips and salsa and live music during Saturday’s 9th annual Salsa Festival at Pacana Park.

The city-sponsored festival brought together amateur and, for the first time, professional salsa makers to compete for the best-tasting salsa in four categories: mild, hot, most unusual and professional.

Dancers, bands, and martial arts demonstrations provided the entertainment as people lined up to taste a wide variety of salsas from the incredibly spicy to the incredibly odd. Parking was limited, so the Maricopa Unified School District bus drivers provided free shuttle services.

After tallying the votes, Salsannas, Mariana’s Fresh Salsa (last year’s overall winner), Calvary Chapel of Maricopa, and the 347 Grill were the winners. Salsannas also won best overall salsa. Winners shared $2,500 in prize money.

“I’m overwhelmed,” said Rosanna Herring, creator of the winning dip, through tears and laughter. “This is proof that we are the best. I’d always hoped for best salsa overall but this is just amazing.”

Always a crowd favorite, the most unusual category featured salsas with fruits, oils, and ingredients filling the tents with sweet smells.

“Tango Mango,” a dip made from mangoes, tamarinds, pineapples, and medium chilies for spice, was created by Enid Stuart for Calvary Chapel of Maricopa. She said she first made the salsa from a recipe she found on the Internet, changing it to meet her husband Verner’s tastes because he “only eats seafood.” She’s only ever made it for her family.

A member of Church of Celebration, Stuart said her brother Adam Gutierrez goes to Calvary Chapel and asked her if she could help his church make an “unusual” salsa. 

“I honestly did not think I had a chance of winning,” Stuart said.

Maricopa City Councilman Bridger Kimball used Italian oils and spices to give his salsa a Mediterranean aroma and flavor.

“I knew they had this competition and, you know, I make a mean bruschetta so I thought, why not?” Kimball said. “The balsamic vinegar really makes this taste so unique. No one really adds olive oil, either.”

Experimentation with salsa is not a new thing. The tomato-based condiment originated with the Aztec people, as well as the Incas and Mayans. Aztec lords would mix tomatoes with chili peppers into a chunky paste and serve it as a condiment to main dishes like fish, turkey, and chicken. Later, after the Spanish conquest of Mexico, Franciscan priest Alonso de Molina called this mixture “salsa,” meaning “sauce” in Spanish around 1571.

This was the first year professional chefs were allowed to enter their house salsas into the competition. Businesses such as Chandler-based El Palacio have previously competed, but used new recipes this year.