sofrito

noun

so·​fri·​to sō-'frē-(ˌ)tō 

plural sofritos

: a mixture typically of onion, garlic, cilantro, peppers, and tomatoes that is finely chopped and used as a base for Latin American, Caribbean, and Spanish dishes

At its most basic, sofrito is chopped onion, garlic and tomatoes sauteed in olive oil at the start of the dish.

—Amy Pataki

Paella starts with a sofrito of onion, garlic, red capsicum and tomatoes …

—Joanna Savill

… stirring in cilantro, sweet little … peppers, and … olives to make her sofrito, the seasoning mix that will give tonight's dish its Puerto Rican character.

—Erick S. Sierra

Cubans add diced ham to their sofritos of tomato, red bell peppers and other ingredients. In the Yucatan, habaneros add sweet heat.

—Robin Mather

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, noun derivative of sofrito, past participle of sofreir "to fry lightly, sauté," from so-, attenuating prefix (going back to Latin sub- sub-) + freir "to fry," going back, with conjugation change, to Latin frīgere "to roast" — more at fry entry 1

Note: The parallel Italian formation soffritto is very similar in meaning, and seems likely to be based on some degree of cultural exchange, though in which direction is not clear.

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above