Is picante sauce a type of salsa?
My dad asked for picante sauce at the store. I never heard the phrase, and asked if he meant salsa. He told me no, he meant picante sauce. He wanted Pace's picante sauce: 
This was opposed to Pace's salsa:
Now I thought the first one was a "salsa", just a special type of salsa. However "salsa" doesn't appear anywhere on the jar. Furthermore on www.pacefoods.com, there is a distinction between salsa and picante sauce. This led me to believe that "picante sauce" is NOT a type of "salsa".
If translated literally to Spanish, "picante sauce" just means "spicy sauce" and "salsa" just means "sauce".
So technically speaking; ketchup, barbecue sauce, A1, ranch dressing and Tobasco are ALL salsas. However if you ask me to buy some salsa you obviously don't mean A1.
According to http://www.ehow.com/facts_5770035_difference-between-salsa-picante-sauce_.html:
While the two terms are commonly used interchangeably in English, they are not synonymous, because picante sauce is a specific type of salsa.
So picante sauce IS salsa according to this website, however there is a contradiction because it says:
Picante sauce, on the other hand, has one distinguishing characteristic that sets its apart -- its intense heat.
Pace (who apparently was the inventor of picante sauce) sells mild, medium and spicy picante sauces along with salsas.
I know the stuff inside the jar that says "picante sauce" has a different texture and tastes different than the stuff inside the jar that says "salsa", so I'm not really asking what the actual culinary differences are. I know those. I'm asking about a definition.
Are "picante sauces" a subset of "salsas"? Does a tomato based sauce have to be spicy to be "picante"?
Best Answer
There's not really a definition as precise as you're looking for. Picante sauce refers to either Pace or something similar, depending on the person. So yes, picante sauce is a somewhat ill-defined type of salsa - nothing that people call picante is not a salsa. As you point out, it does not actually mean intense heat; the regular/medium is not particularly hot and even the "hot" isn't all that hot, and people will refer to any variety of Pace Picante (or similar) as picante.
Pace's distinction between the two is more of a branding/marketing issue than anything else. They have to keep making picante, without changing the recipe too much and certainly without changing the name. They also want to make other things, and salsa is a pretty natural name. That doesn't mean their Picante isn't a kind of salsa, just that they're choosing not to market it as one. But as long as you consider basic mass-produced jarred salsa to still be salsa, Pace Picante is definitely an example of it.
The reason there's no satisfying answer or precise definition is that all usage of the term like this stems from Pace Picante sauce. It's just the name someone chose for their sauce in 1947, and since that sauce eventually became widespread in stores across the US - stores that likely didn't have a lot of other salsa - people ended up using the term in a more casual, generic way.
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Quick Answer about "Is picante sauce a type of salsa?"
Salsa and sauce are essentially the same thing containing the same ingredients, but “picante” means “hot or spicy.” So while picante sauce is hot or spicy, salsa is mild.Is Picante Sauce same as salsa?
A food corporation developed picante sauce in the 1940s and named the product \u201cPace picante sauce.\u201d Like salsa, picante contains tomatoes, white onions, jalape\xf1os, and spices; however, picante is smoother than chunky salsa, owing to its finely chopped vegetables.Can I substitute picante sauce for salsa?
Can you use Picante sauce in place of salsa and vice versa? Generally speaking, Picante sauce is meant to serve the same purpose as a salsa roja or other wet salsa: mainly as a dip but with a little more heat. Picante sauce is a great option if you want a spicy alternative to a mild salsa.What is the difference between Pace picante and salsa?
While both are made of similar ingredients like our handpicked jalape\xf1os, tomatoes and onions, Pace\xae Chunky Salsa has a thick and chunky texture while Picante sauce has a smooth texture. Both are great as dip, added to your favourite tacos or as an ingredient in a recipe.Is the original picante sauce salsa?
Over time, he expanded the business to a variety of other condiments. In 1947 he decided the real \u201csyrup of the Southwest\u201d was Mexican picante sauce\u2014which is now known as salsa or picante sauce.PACE The original Picante Sauce HOT Salsa Review
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Answer 2
Salsa is the broader more generic term. Pace named their first salsa "Picante Sauce". Eventually it became popular enough for others to mimic. Hence it just means a salsa that is similar in texture and taste to the original Pace sauce.
Answer 3
Was just wondering this myself and looked at jar of Pace Picante. The real distinction from ordinary salsa? Pace Picante sauce includes vinegar, which is not normally included in salsa. Definitely e
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