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Aji criollo or salsa de aji is a spicy Peruvian salsa prepared with a combination of yellow aji chili peppers and oil. The sauce is usually pleasantly spicy, but it can also be extremely hot and spicy, so one should be careful when tasting it for the first time.
The sauce is traditionally used as an accompaniment to various meat and fish dishes, but it's also often used as a dip for french fries and tequeños. Although it shares the name with an Ecuadorian sauce, those two differ significantly, both in appearance (Ecuadorian version is green), and in the method of preparation and ingredients used.
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Salsa ocopa is a popular Peruvian sauce originating from Arequipa. It is made with queso fresco, aji amarillo chilis, milk, and huacatay, also known as Peruvian black mint, giving the sauce a unique flavor. The salsa is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, but it can also accompany pasta dishes, meat, fried yucca, hard-boiled eggs, or tequeños.
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MOST ICONIC Salsa ocopa
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Guasacaca is Venezuela's version of guacamole, although it is not as thick. This simple combination of avocado, coriander, parsley, bell peppers, onions, garlic, salt, oil, and vinegar is typically consumed with barbecued meats such as beef, chicken, sausages, and morcillas.
It is used as a dip with fried plantain and yuca, but it can also be drizzled on empanadas. The sauce is usually made in a blender, resulting in a creamy sauce, while some prefer the mashed version, resulting in a chunkier sauce.
Hogao is a traditional sauce that is commonly used as a seasoning, dipping sauce, or topping. The savory combination of tomatoes, scallions, coriander, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper is sautéed until the vegetables become tender and aromatic.
This flavorful sauce is typically served with various meat dishes, arepas, and rice. It can also be served as an accompaniment to the famous bandeja paisa. The name of the sauce is derived from the words ahogar and rehogar, referring to the technique of slow-cooking.
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Mojo de ajo is a garlic sauce that's popular in Mexico, Cuba, Chile, and many Caribbean and Latin American countries. It usually consists of olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, and lemon, orange, or lime juice. The ingredients are simply blended together until smooth and the sauce is ready to be consumed.
It can be used to season yucca, tostones, chicken, steaks, vegetables, and just about anything else. In Mexico, mojo de ajo is typically used with a fish known as pejelagarto.
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Suero is a creamy and tangy Colombian sauce or dip made with fermented whole milk, salt, and vinegar or lime juice. It originates from Colombia's coastal region, hence its other, extended name – suero costeño. It is often served as an accompaniment to sausages, tamales, arepas, or plantain chips.
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What harissa is to Moroccan cuisine and what mustard is to hot dogs in the USA, chimichurri is to steaks in Argentina. It is an aromatic mixture of parsley, garlic, oregano, sunflower oil, vinegar, and hot red pepper flakes, although additional ingredients such as coriander or chopped tomatoes are sometimes also included in the combination, while others may be omitted as there are numerous variations on chimichurri.
This vibrant green sauce (sometimes used as a marinade) is typically served alongside grilled beef steaks, but it also does wonders for grilled pork, chicken, lamb, fish, or duck, and it is quite common to pair it with Malbec wine. There are two theories about the origin of the name–one says that it was invented (and aptly named) by a British meat dealer called Jimmy Curry, and the other one says that it stems from the phrase "che mi curry", spoken by captive English soldiers who requested to eat curry after their unsuccessful attempt to invade Argentina, a Spanish colony at the time.
MOST ICONIC Chimichurri
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Aji verde is a Peruvian sauce made with a combination of cilantro, oil, queso fresco, lime juice, garlic, onions, and chili peppers. In order to make aji verde a bit creamier, mayonnaise is added into the sauce. It is recommended to serve this sauce with a variety of fish, meat, and rice dishes, but it also goes well with freshly baked bread.
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MOST ICONIC Aji verde
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Uchucuta is a traditional spicy sauce or condiment. It's usually made with a combination of rocoto chiles, grated cucumbers, peanuts, huacatay leaves, evaporated milk, chopped onions, coriander leaves, queso fresco, and salt. The ingredients are seasoned with salt and blended until creamy.
If it's too thick, a bit of water or milk is added to the mixture. Once blended, the sauce is placed into a container and chilled until it's needed. It's recommended to serve uchucuta as an accompaniment to huatia (slow-cooked beef), pachamanca (marinated meat baked on hot stones), or cooked potatoes.
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MOST ICONIC Uchucuta
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Llajua is an authentic Bolivian hot sauce made with rocoto chili peppers (between 30,000 and 100,000 Scoville), pápalo (in Bolivia known as quillquiña or Bolivian cilantro), tomatoes, and optional onions. In Bolivia, llajua is traditionally made using a batan – a big stone mortar and pestle used to grind all of the ingredients for the sauce.
Consumed throughout the country, llajua is used on everything from grilled meat and soups to pies and vegetable dishes.
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TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 17 South American Sauces” list until February 13, 2025, 1,072 ratings were recorded, of which 534 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.