You'll Likely Only Find This White Dipping Sauce At Mexican Restaurants In One State

Among the absolute best Mexican restaurants in every state in the US, chances are you'll come across a number of variations of your favorite dishes, many with a markedly American twist on tradition. If you happen to find yourself at a Mexican restaurant in the Southeast of Virginia, however, you might spot one dip that even defies the conventions of Americanized Mexican food. Neither salsa nor queso, Virginia White Sauce exemplifies Southern flair while providing a one-of-a-kind accent to your Mexican meal.

Made with a combination of Miracle Whip, milk, crushed red peppers, cumin, and oregano, the taste and texture of white sauce are likened by some to that of a ranch dressing despite the two bearing little resemblance. The sauce is said to have originated between the 1960s and 1970s at a Mexican restaurant called El Toro in Norfolk, Virginia, though there is some discrepancy as to who invented the sauce and when. Starting first as a salad dressing and then evolving to a dip for tortilla chips, it's clear that this popular side could be a sauce, dressing, or condiment, depending on how you use it.

Fans of this Virginian dip tout its crave-worthy taste. One TikTok user asks, "What is this white sauce and why can't I stop eating it?" If you don't live in Virginia and can't make a trip just for dip, you can always try your hand at preparing it at home.

For those dining at a Mexican restaurant in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia for the first time, the presence of this dip alongside a typical tomato-based salsa with your chips might create confusion. One Redditor inquires, "What is the white sauce at all the Mexican restaurants around here?" Comments that followed note that, despite its Miracle Whip base, the dip doesn't have a distinct taste of mayo.

Another user posits that mixing the sauce with shredded green cabbage makes it an ideal topping for fish tacos. Others outside of Virginia mention the culture shock of discovering the sauce for the first time. A Reddit commenter shares, "Just moved here recently from Indiana. Boy was I surprised when I thought I was dipping into some delicious complimentary queso." Much like there are different regional Mexican cuisines that define the country's food culture, so too are there regional variations on American-style Mexican food across the US.

If you'd like to try a homemade version of Virginia white sauce, it's easy to find recipes online for the El Toro-originated dip. While some are averse to Miracle Whip as the base and prefer yogurt instead, others insist it is the most authentic way to prepare the sauce. Still, one of the most important steps in the process of making this dip is to chill it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, if not a full day, to allow the flavors to properly combine and the texture to tighten a little.