A Mexican Favorite

     During my brief stay in Mexico I attended a cooking class to learn the art of making salsa. One of the six different styles of the fresh, uncooked salad that I created was Pico de gallo, or as it is translated, "rooster's beak."



     Also known as salsa fresca  and salsa picada, pico de gallo is made using chopped tomato, onion, cilantro and fresh serrano pepper and sprinkled with key lime juice.  Other ingredients can also be included to personalize the mix.  They include shrimp, sausage, squid, avocado, cucumber, radish and mango.

     Many Mexican nationals prefer to refer to pico de gallo as Salsa Bandera, literally "flag sauce" in honor of the national flag whose colors match the red tomato, white onion and green cilantro.