New Delhi, July 2 -- a tightly curated lineup of globally beloved sauces, bound together by one of the most entertaining spangrams the New York Times puzzle desk has produced in weeks.

The spangram for today's puzzle is GETSAUCY. It spans the full width of the 6x8 grid, as all spangrams must, touching the leftmost and rightmost columns of the board and lighting up in yellow once found. It functions simultaneously as a verb phrase, a cooking instruction, and a wink at the theme itself. The phrase does not just name the category; it performs it. For players who found it early, the remaining five theme words fell into place with notable speed. For those who chased herbs first, the board held its ground until a hint redirected the search.

T...