In Mexico (which ought to count for SOMETHING), I believe that "salsa" simply means "sauce" in the broadest possible sense of the word. (No, I don't want to restart the Great Alfredo Battle of 2005...) So damned near anything you could pour out of a jar could be (and probably has been, by someone) labelled a "salsa." I think most people, though, would have in mind something that had reasonably small-sized chunks of fruits and-or veggies in it. I would not be at all surprised to find that what we'd call "pickle relish," just for example, winds up as a "salsa" of some sort on store shelves all across Mexico.
Merriam-Webster says that "chutney" is derived from a Hindi term, and it appears that vinegar and possibly sugar are the defining ingredients. But I really suspect that at the root of all this, we're just seeing the results of the fact that pretty much all human cultures at some point have chopped up fruits and veggies and used the result (with or without additional liquids, juices, whatever) as a condiment - so we've got at least as many words as there are languages for what's broadly the same thing. Sorta like "noodles" - is there any place on the planet where the locals haven't at some point made long stringlike things out of some sort of flour?
Language ain't an exact science, folks...it's a lot messier, and about as stable a situation as trying to nail Jell-O to the wall...
Bob M.
Scrambled eggs 6231Mr Libido Incognito Pretty solid like yours, although I break them up into fialry large pieces and get all sides cooked after the first side pretty much sets. We don't...
