Review - Eswatini Swazi Kitchen Swazi Chili Sauces
Made in Swaziland, Africa, Eswatini Swazi Kitchen's Chilli Sauce and Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce are among the most exotic spicy food condiments I've ever eaten. Yet, they are comfortably similar to Americanized sauces.
Ingredients:
Chilli Sauce: Ripe tomatoes, chillies, onions, garlic, vinegar and select spices
Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce: Chillies, onions, garlic, vinegar, sunflower oil, spices, and salt.
Aroma:
Chilli Sauce: 2.5 out of 5. A strange blend of garlic, chile peppers, and exotic spices mix with tomatoes.
Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce: 2.5 out of 5. This one has a much more dominant chile aroma, along with a heavy oily smell. Neither sauce has what I would consider an appetizing aroma, but each was fascinating in its own way, prompting multiple, repeat sniffs to take in the offbeat odors.
Appearance and Texture:
The regular Chilli Sauce has a reddish-orange hue and is a very thick paste. The tomatoes and peppers are blended moderately well together. With the Swazi Fire, there is far more separation of the ingredients; soft, pasty shreds of chiles and seeds float tightly in a deep sea of red vinegar and oil. You'll have to stir this up before using to ensure an even mixture and not end up with a spoonful of red grease.
Swazi Kitchen's Chilli Sauce in the jar
Swazi Kitchen's Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce in the jar
Taste Straight Up:
Chilli Sauce: 3 out of 5. One lick and I thought of a runny salsa that had a bit of extra attention in the spices department. A cool, somewhat-tasty mixing of tomato, onions, garlic on a bed of mild peppers. Not too bad.
Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce: 2.5 out of 5. The fire of the chiles mostly dominates this hotter version. They are accented by a dark, almost "burnt" garlic flavor and a strange bitterness from the oil.
Taste on Food:
3 out of 5. Meatloaf was the test item for this pair of sauces. I normally douse my meatloaf portions with regular tomato ketchup, so I wondered what the less-hot Chilli Sauce would be like as a replacement. It proved to be a formidable topping with less of a sweet ketchup taste and more of a subdued garlic-y salsa.
Chilli Sauce covering a hefty, Scotty-sized chunk of meatloaf.
Since the Swazi Fire was far hotter, I opted to use it as a dipping sauce into of smothering the meat with it. It provided quite a kick to the food. It certainly was a big difference from what I'm used to, and despite the fact that I would never consider this as a replacement for Heinz, Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce was an offbeat and welcome change.
A bite of meatloaf dipped in Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce.
Suggested Uses:
This might go well with curries, vegetables, chicken, or beef.
Heat:
Chilli Sauce: Barely medium heat, probably a 2 on a scale of 1 to 5.
Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce: For fans of extreme fire. I was actually surprised how hot this was (some American manufacturers boast mega-amounts of heat on their labels and don't deliver as much capsaicin blast as this stuff does). Be prepared for numb lips and watery eyes. If you get a good dose of this in your mouth, it's pushing 4 on a 5 scale.
Label:
4.5 out of 5. Handsome packaging. Each bottle had a custom paper lid topper attached with a rubber band. The label was printed on a heavy-stock, beige-colored paper with a unique, rough texture all over it. The typography and layout looked more like Americana than African - which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Overall:
These would never be "everyday" sauces for me, but they're good in their off-the-beaten path sort-of way.
Eswatini Swazi Kitchen also produces jellies, jams, and curry sauces which I'd love to sample. Chilli Sauce and Swazi Fire Chilli Sauce are available, respectively, in 9.5 oz. and 10 oz. jars for $12.99 and $13.99 for two at http://swazigourmet.gourmetfoodmall.com/ViewAllProducts.php
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