Salpicon in cooking has three different meanings, depending upon the cuisine.
In French cooking, Salpicon means one or more food items diced finely, and bound together with a sauce. The sauce can be thick or thin, white or brown, hot or cold.
The ingredients can be vegetables, fish, fowl, mushrooms, meats, etc.
It’s usually used as a topping on small food items such as vol-au-vents or canapés, etc, or as a filling for croquettes and small pastries.
In Central American and Mexican cooking, salpicón is a meat mixture used as a filling in stuffed peppers or tacos, etc. The mixture consists of thinly sliced (or chopped) meat, onion, pepper, avocado, tomato, seasoned with oregano and vinegar.
In Colombia, salpicón is a chilled fruit drink made from orange or watermelon juice mixed with soda water, with chopped fruit in it. Fruit can include apples, bananas, oranges, pineapple, strawberries, watermelon, etc.
Language Notes
Salpicon comes from Spanish. “Sal” means salt in Spanish; “picar” means to cut.