Salpicon

Seafood salpicon, an example from Spanish cuisine

Salpicon (or salpicón, meaning "hodgepodge" or "medley" in Spanish) are terms used in different ways in French, Spanish, Central American and Latin American cuisine for preparations of one or more ingredients diced or minced and bound with a sauce or liquid. A salpicon is sometimes used as stuffing. In contrast to the usual savory versions of other cuisines, in Colombia "salpicon" refers to a sweet snack.

In French cuisine, the resulting mixture is used to stuff tartlets, canapés, croquettes, rissoles, timbales, vol-au-vents, croustades, eggs, roulades, etc.

In Mexican cuisine and Central American cuisine, the term refers to a salad mixture containing thinly sliced or chopped flank steak, onion, oregano, chile serrano, avocado, tomatoes, and vinegar. The mixture is commonly served on tostadas, tacos or as a filling of Poblano peppers.

In Colombian cuisine, salpicón is a fruit cocktail beverage made with a base of watermelon and/or orange juice, which gives it its bright red color, and soda water.

References

• Le Guide Culinaire by Auguste Escoffier, Flammarion, Paris (1903)
• Larousse Gastronomique, Crown Publishers (1961)
  (Translated from the French, Librairie Larousse, Paris (1938))