The most dangerous sentence in Mexican food Spanish is no pica. Sometimes true. Sometimes a personality test. Ask ¿pica?, ¿pica mucho?, poquita salsa, and then proceed with humility.
Spice advice is not objective science. It is autobiography.
The spice phrase map
| Need | Say this |
|---|---|
| Is it spicy? | ¿Pica? |
| Very spicy? | ¿Pica mucho? |
| Spicy | Está picoso |
| Not that spicy | No pica tanto |
| Intense | Está bravo |
| Little salsa | Poquita salsa |
Picar can mean sting or prick,1 and in food it becomes spice language. Picoso means spicy.2 Eat Mexico gives the best practical warning for learners: people answer spice questions from their own tolerance, so try a little first.3
Start small
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¿Pica mucho?Is it very spicy?
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Poquita salsa, por favor.A little salsa, please.
Salsa is sauce,4 and poquito is your friend.5
Está bravo means be careful
Bravo can mean fierce or intense.6 With salsa, it often means respect the situation.
| They say | Your move |
|---|---|
| No pica | Try a little |
| Pica poquito | Try a little |
| Sí pica | Believe them |
| Está bravo | Proceed like a citizen |
The safe order
-
¿Pica mucho? Entonces poquita salsa, por favor.Is it very spicy? Then just a little salsa, please.
This is not cowardice. This is strategy.
Sources
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Diccionario de la lengua española, picar — Real Academia Española ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, picoso — Real Academia Española ↩
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Eat Mexico, Spanish phrases for Mexico City’s culinary scene — Eat Mexico ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, salsa — Real Academia Española ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, poquito — Real Academia Española ↩
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Diccionario de la lengua española, bravo — Real Academia Española ↩
Test yourself
tap an answer.
You want to ask if salsa is spicy. What do you say?
Poquita salsa means...
Someone says está bravo about salsa. You should assume...
