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Why our Jams and Savory Spreads make the Best Cheese Pairings

We've tried and tested dozens of savory jam recipes to come up with the best jams, savory spreads and chutneys to pair with a variety of cheese plates.  After years in the making, we've developed a line of cheese pairing jams and award winning spreads that we can absolutely guarantee will take your charcuterie and cheese plates to the next level.  

From a sharp aged cheddar to a rich and creamy stilton, each of our jams and spreads are designed to not only pair with a variety of cheese but to brilliantly compliment the cheese by adding a complex sweet and savory addition.  Our spreads and jams are made with a combination of fresh fruits and aromatic spices, slowly simmered and handcrafted entirely by us with no artificial ingredients or preservatives. 

Wozz! Savory Spreads and Jams For Cheese Pairings

Savory Spreads and Jams For Cheese ~ Wozz! Perfect Pairings

1. Triple Ale Onion Savory Jam Spread - a slow cooked caramelized onion jam made with fresh roasted garlic, brown sugar and a combination of 3 artisan ales.  Winner of the NYC Fancy Food Show for best condiment in it's class, this savory onion spread pairs well with:

blue cheese - this sweet sticky onion jam with it's hoppy kick is right at home paired with a blue cheese.  Try on a crostini with fresh rosemary or as a pizza base with gorgonzola, walnuts and thyme. Favorite pairings for your next cheese plate include Jasper Cellars Bayley Hazen Blue, Colston Bassett Stilton and Point Reyes Bay Blue.  

aged cheddar - who doesn't like a full flavored aged cheddar with an onion spread made with craft beer?  This is a delicious pairing and great for both a laid back style cheese plate and a sophisticated one as well.  Pair with charcuterie for an appetizer that is just plain awesome.  Our favorite pairings include: Cabot clothbound cheddar, Grafton Village reserve cheddar and Harmans cheddar. 

washed rind - the savory flavors of this onion jam complement the pungent punchy flavors of a traditional washed rind cheese and of course, the addition of ale is a complimentary pairing.  Favorite pairing: Jasper Cellars Willoughby.

goats cheese - balances the zesty flavor of goats cheese with a savory caramelized onion bite.  Delicious on crostini, flat bread or paired together in mini tart shells and topped with fresh herbs. 

charcuterie - perfect for a cheese and charcuterie board! Pair with cured meats including sausage and salami and with terrine or pate.

Wozz! Triple Ale Onion Jam Spread Paired with Cheddar and Salami

Wozz! Triple Ale Onion Spread paired with Colston Bassett Stilton Blue Cheese

Wozz! Triple Ale Onion Jam Paired with Goats Cheese in Mini Tarts

2. Balsamic Fig Mostarda For Cheese Pairings - sweet figs and fresh hand cut pears simmered in a balsamic reduction with the traditional finish of pure mustard oil for spice.  Winner of the NYC Fancy Food Show Sofi Silver award for outstanding condiment, this balsamic fig mostarda is our signature cheese pairing accompaniment.  Rich with layered flavors, this savory fig jam pairs with almost any cheese including:

goats cheese - pair this rich and savory fig jam with either fresh goats cheese on crostini for a crowd pleasing appetizer or serve alongside an aged goats cheese such as Coupole from Vermont Creamery on a cheese plate.

blue cheese - by slowly simmering figs and fresh pears in a balsamic reduction sauce, our Balsamic Fig Mostarda is a classic accompaniment to blue cheese, perfectly on par with the cheese's bold flavors.

soft bloomy rind cheese including brie and camembert - baked brie with fig jam, another classic holiday favorite.  Try pairing our Balsamic Fig Mostarda with Jasper Cellars Harbison - a soft bloomy rind cheese similar to brie with grassy mustard notes.  It's the perfect cheese pairing alongside a loaf of crusty bread.  Also fantastic served with Vermont Creamery's Cremont.

Summer Cheese Plate with Wozz! Balsamic Fig Mostarda, Fresh Fruit, Croissants, Ham and Soft Bloomy Rind Cheese

3. Sour Cherry Spiced Wine Spread For Cheese Pairings - A sour cherry compote spread made with whole sour cherries slowly simmered in a red wine reduction sauce with aromatic winter mulling spices and cracked black pepper.  Our Sour Cherry Spread with Spiced Wine is a beautiful cheese pairing spread, especially during the fall and winter months and holiday season.  Our favorite cheese and cherry jam pairings include:

Stilton - this intense rich and full of fruit cherry spread enhanced with warm aromatic spices and bold red wine is a perfect match for a medium to strong blue including stilton and roquefort.  A personal favorite pairing is with Vermont's Blue Ledge Farm Middlebury Blue.

Triple Cream Brie -  our sour cherry spread is decadent and gorgeous on top of a baked triple cream brie cheese.  Full of juicy whole sour cherries, this makes a holiday statement that compliments the woody earthiness of brie.  

Goats Cheese - rich cherries and warm spices lends itself to a beautiful pairing with tangy creamy zesty goats cheese.  Favorite pairings include fresh unripened goats cheese spread onto crostini with our sour cherry jam and Vermont Creamery's Coupole and Bonne Bouche.

Mascarpone - A brilliant match for dessert, try a dessert style cheese pairings with mascarpone, sour cherry spread and cocoa cakes or grahams.  

4. Sticky Date Candied Orange Chutney For Cheese Pairings - dates are a classic traditional cheese pairing accompaniment.  Travel the world and you'll find most cheese pairings and wine tastings will come with dried dates to compliment the flavor. We have taken this classic traditional cheese pairing to the next level by slow cooking dates with the addition of pears, hand candied oranges, cider vinegar and a medley of spices.  This chutney leaves a mild tingling to the palate on it's finish, just to give the mouth a nice well rounded warm finish.  It's a brilliant cheese pairing chutney complimenting almost all the cheese varieties that we pair with it.  

Aged Gouda - who doesn't love the nutty caramel deliciousness of an aged gouda?  It's just perfection in my eyes and our sticky date candied orange chutney is a delicious match.  The orange marmalade accent in this chutney is a great enhancement for the cheese.

Cheddar - this savory date chutney is bursting with character and just delicious with an aged cheddar or smoked cheddar, our favorite pick is harmans cheese smoked cheddar.  Don't forget to add charcuterie to your cheese pairing on this one. 

Alpine Style Cheese - our sticky date and orange chutney pairs well with this nutty buttery style cheese.  Our favorite cheese pairings include Cabot Alpine Cheddar and Jasper Cellars Alpha Tolman.

Hard Cheese - Our sticky date candied orange chutney is a delightful treat when paired with a sharp nutty aged manchego or parmesan.

5. Cranberry Orange Cognac Chutney For Cheese Pairings - New England cranberries infused with fresh orange, cinnamon, clove, cognac orange liquor, apples and raisins for a rich fruit forward chutney.  Well suited for a variety of cheese, our favorite cheese and cranberry chutney pairings include:

Soft Bloomy Rind Cheese - Top a wheel of baked brie or camembert with cranberry chutney and walnuts for a beautiful and delicious Thanksgiving appetizer.  Don't forget to add our Cranberry Orange Chutney to your leftover turkey and brie sandwich!

Cheddar - Simple and delicious, you can pair our cranberry orange chutney simply alongside cheddar on a cheese plate or use with melted cheddar in puff pastry for a deliciously gooey warm appetizer.  

6. Thai Hot Pepper Jelly For Cheese Pairings - Our Thai Hot Pepper Jelly is a combination of roasted red peppers, sweet chili heat, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and it's full of flavor!  This hot pepper jelly is not too spicy (about a 5/10 on the heat scale) so you can pair this with cheese without overpowering it.  Traditionally hot pepper jelly is served with cream cheese and crackers for a no fail, simple, delicious and easy appetizer but you can also serve it with a simple sharp cheddar or goats cheese. 

If you are looking for simple entertaining ideas, remember that all of our savory cheese pairing jams and spreads can be folded through cream cheese or a creamy goats cheese and served with crackers. 

Entertaining Made Easy! Thai Hot Pepper Jelly with Cream Cheese Appetizer:

7.  Wild Blueberry Maple Walnut Compote is made with Wild Maine Blueberries steeped in Balsamic with Fresh Rosemary, Toasted Walnuts and 100% Pure Maple Syrup.  Pairs well with an aged goats cheese and creamy baked brie. 

Recipe: Baked Brie with Wild Blueberry Maple Walnut Compote

Cheese and Jam Pairing Sets

Wozz! Cheese Pairing Essentials ~ A Set of 4 Savory Spreads and Jams For Classic Cheese Plate Pairings.

We also have two gift sets designed for perfect cheese pairings, our classic cheese pairing gift set and our gourmet spreads for cheese set.  Our cheese pairing gift boxes come in a silver Wozz! gift box with eco friendly packaging, pairing cards and a personalized note from you. 

You can also choose your own assortment of our sweet and savory cheese pairing condiments.

Send one of our thoughtfully crafted cheese pairing gift sets to your cheese obsessed friend or send one to yourself and share the joy of cheese and jam pairings with your family, co-workers and loved ones.  Perfect for the holidays, birthdays and Mother's Day.  

Quick Cheese Overview:

Blue Cheese - This class of cheese has had the mold Penicillin added to them, leading to their blue veined appearance.  Usually creamy and crumbly, blue cheeses tend to be pungent, salty and sharp although a Colston Basset Stilton can be buttery fudgy and elegantly sweet.  Their are a number of varieties, some milder than others, including Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Stilton and Roquefort. Italian Gorgonzola and Cambozola (a blue brie blend) tend to be milder in flavor whereas a French Roquefort tends to be spicy and pungent.

Cheddar - Originated in the town of Somerset, Egland, cheddar, is a relatively firm cheese that can taste mellow in flavor or slightly strong and earthy depending on the variety.  A vintage cheddar which tends to be rich and earthy is aged greater than 15 months.  Cheddar is one of the most popular styles of cheese here in the US, coming in second after Mozzarella.  Varieties include: Sharp, Extra Sharp, Farmhouse, Irish, Aged Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar

Soft Bloomy Rind Cheese - or ripened soft cheese (which also includes goats cheese as mentioned above) and also includes some of our favorite cheese plate offerings:  Brie and Camembert.  Both of these have the bloomy rind which is a rind that is soft, velvety and fluffy in texture and yes, edible and a soft creamy buttery interior that oozes at the peak of ripeness.

• Brie is a soft cows milk cheese that originated in Brie France, it's flavor profile varies but can be described as earthy, mushroomy, grassy and nutty.  Cream is added to Brie and types can include "double-creme" brie and "triple-creme" brie which is directly related to the amount of butter fat in the cheese (60-75% for a double creme and greater than 75% for a triple creme).  
  
  
• Camembert is also a soft ripened bloomy rind cheese made from cows milk and originated in Camembert, Normandy France. It is very similar to brie but tends to have a bit of a more intense earthy flavor.  It's ripened usually in smaller wheels and does tend to become creamier than brie when warmed.  

Goats Cheese - or what most call "chevre" which is French for goat is typically a soft cheese, tart and earthy in flavor.  Varieties can be unripened or ripened and range in texture from moist and soft to semi firm and hard.  Unripened goats cheese (fresh goats cheese) is typically what we pick up in the grocery store, it's creamy and tangy.  Ripened goats cheese or aged goats cheese, typically have a soft velvety outer white mold casing and a creamy interior with a bit more complexity from the aging process.  

Washed Rind Cheese - Commonly referred to as "stinky cheese". Washed rind cheeses are plump and moist with pungent aromas and intense flavors.  These more savory punchy cheese varieties get their name and strong aroma from having their rinds washed with different types of alcohol from cider to beer to brandy. The flavors of washed rind cheese can't be judged by their initial distinctive aroma, they actually taste different and milder than the smell of the rind.

Semi Hard or Hard Cheese - Hard cheeses have a lower moisture content than your soft cheeses and are typically packed in molds under greater pressure and aged for longer periods of time. Flavors are usually sharper, sometimes salty, sweet nuttty and rich. Varieties include cheddar (as mentioned above), aged gouda, parmesan, pecorino, manchego and alpine style cheese.

The Do's and Don'ts of Cheese and Jam Pairings

1. For most cheese pairings, especially when you are serving a more sophisticated cheese, do not pour the jam over the cheese.  Serve it alongside the cheese on a cheese board and let your guests pair as they choose.  An exception to this is with cream cheese.  It's simple and casual and can be served mixed in, on the side or poured over top.  For most other cheese plates, serve as an accompaniment to let the cheese shine.

2. This is my opinion, but not every jam should be served with cheese.  Jams and spreads made with dried fruit such as fig or date or with fruits such as pear, cherries, apple and quince are traditional and classic pairings. Their are just some jams that don't pair particularly well with cheese. Grapefruit marmalade and strawberry kiwi jam are better options for toast. 

3. Serve your cheese at room temperature.  Take it out of the fridge an hour before serving.

4.  Use a separate knife for each cheese so the stronger more pungent cheeses don't taint the others.

5. Serve accompaniments that enhance the cheese plate but don't over do it.  Simple is best and make sure you choose accompaniments that compliment each other.  Accompaniments include a variety of crackers and breads, charcuterie such as salami or pate, pickles, nuts, honeycomb, fresh fruit such as grapes and sliced pear and of course 1 or 2 savory jams and spreads that compliment a variety of cheese.

6.  If you have more than a couple guests, make sure you do a big enough spread.  You don't want all your cheese and accompaniments on a small board with guests having to wait to get in on the action.

7. Choose a variety of cheese but not too many - a mix of 4 cheeses is a good amount. You can choose between varying textures and styles of cheese:  In example, a blue cheese, an aged cheddar, a washed rind and a soft bloomy rind cheese.  Another great recommendation is choosing cheese based on different milk sources - a mixture of sheep, cow's, goats milk cheeses.

8.  Serve complimentary wines and beer that also add to the cheese tasting experience.

Shop The Total Collection of Wozz! Cheese Pairing Spreads

You know I really don't like chicken breasts.  I think they are bland and boring and if I had a choice I would pick chicken thighs over breasts any day of the week.  But over the past year, Wozz and I have changed our eating and exercise habits and chicken breasts are now a staple in our diet.  Obviously (as you can see on this website) we love to cook, create and eat.  We love red wine, aged cheddar and chocolate bomb cake. We love juicy roasted lamb with roasted buttery potatoes and rich Indian curries with naan and beef stew with crusty bread...we love coconut shrimp and sticky chili wings all washed down with great craft beer. You get my point and I know you all love this kind of food too. But, feeling frumpy, out of shape and tired is the worst...so eating a bit cleaner, choosing leaner healthy protein packed foods like grilled chicken with fresh veggies is essential to feeling good.  It really is. It's actually life changing, not just physically but mentally...your mind clears, your energy lifts and you just feel better.  

Fortunately, Wozz and I own this condiment business and a plethora of our sauces and condiments are super healthy, low in sugar and fantastic on chicken.  I know this sounds like a shameless plug for our business (of course) but over the past year or so we've had a bunch of fitness bloggers and customers of ours, either write to us and tell us they have lost weight by eating our condiments or they instagram or facebook us about it. All their stories are the same in that they eat lean proteins (chicken, fish, tofu) and use just a little bit of our condiments to mix up the flavor profile.  One night it's Moroccan chicken with a side of couscous and veggies, the next night it's salsa verde chicken with a side of black beans. Wozz and I have taken our own customers advice, funny how that works...here we were for years giving all these fancy recipes out for our products and now we realize just grill up a piece of chicken, add a few tablespoons of Wozz! and plop it on a bed of greens and you are good to go.

If you are seriously into fitness or bodybuilding, you probably eat grilled chicken or fish on most days and after a while, it's pretty refreshing to liven things up with a bit of unique flavors. So with that, here are a few of my favorite healthy picks of what condiments and sauces to use on your next chicken dinner.  

Thai Orange & Ginger Relish 

A relish that is low in sugar, savory and full of bright citrus tang and spice.  It's made with fresh carrots, 100% orange juice, Thai spices, fresh cilantro and a bit of chili.  It's complex with great depth of flavor and designed for chicken, fish and seafood.  Mix into turkey burgers, spoon over a baked white fish or simply spread over chicken breasts - it can be used warm or cold. 

Picture below:  Thai Orange Ginger Chicken (I used chicken thighs in this recipe but you can substitute breasts and you can also use a white fish - you just may need to adjust cooking times).

Kiwi Lime Salsa Verde 

This salsa verde is super fresh and fitness friendly.  There are only 80 calories in the entire jar - 7 calories and 1 gram of sugar per serving.  Guilt free and packed with healthy ingredients - fresh grilled tomatillos, fresh zingy kiwi, fresh cilantro, fresh jalapenos and 100% lime juice.  It's so good, it won outstanding salsa at the NYC fancy food show in 2015 and was featured on The Today Show.  Kathy Lee loved it.  Serious.  

If you love tangy spicy vibrant sauces then this is the perfect salsa verde to drizzle over chicken breasts and grilled fish.  Or try it over these fish tacos (you can also use chicken instead of fish if preferred).  

North African Chermoula Dressing & Marinade 

Lemony, bold and spiced.  This Moroccan style marinade is perfect for chicken!  It's also low in sugar and packed with healthy super food spices - cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, fenugreek.  It's got F-L-A-V-O-R.  If you love Indian style food and prefer more tang and savory than sweet, than this is your sauce. It's delicious with lentils, falafel, chickpeas and couscous.  Mix it with Greek yogurt and you got yourself a fantastic healthy dip for grilled chicken skewers.

Recipe:  Chermoula Marinated Chicken Thighs with Couscous, Lemon and Feta

Moroccan Tomato Onion Relish

This relish is currently my favorite go-to sauce for a lot of meals.  It's so full of flavor and it's pretty low in sugar - 3 g per 2 tablespoons which is actually less than ketchup (ketchup has 8g per 2 Tbs).  It's perfect for braising chicken in a pan with a little bit of chicken stock and serving over brown rice.  When you are in a hurry and have cold grilled chicken breasts in the fridge just spoon this over top with feta cheese crumbles and serve on a bed of arugula (see below).  Full of aromatic Moroccan spices including cumin, coriander and ras el hanout, it is a great alternative to tomato sauce.  I also use it on turkey meatloaf, veggie burgers, mini chicken pizzas and spoon it over cabbage rolls.  

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Breast with Moroccan Tomato Relish and Feta

Ginger Soy Infusion Dressing & Marinade

Also a NYC fancy food show sofi gold winner, this sauce is a favorite among our customers.  It's not as thick and heavy as a traditional teriyaki style marinade.  It's light and layered with flavor.  We actually don't use soy sauce, we use organic tamari so it is gluten free and the base of this sauce is a homemade dashi stock (which is made from sea vegetables and spring water so it's packed with nutrients). We infuse the sauce with fresh hand chopped garlic, ginger and it's finished with toasty unhulled sesame seeds.  

This is one of our sweeter sauces and marinades so if you are looking to keep the sugar really low, just use a tablespoon or two, that is really all you need.  Everything in moderation. This sauce is absolutely delicious and when you just can't stand chicken breasts anymore, just drizzle a bit of this on them.  Your love of chicken will be renewed. This sauce can also be used with chicken broccoli stir-fry's, on steak tips, salmon and drizzled over sauteed greens like bok choy, kale and chinese broccoli. 

Recipe:  Chinese Chicken and Vegetable Chop Suey Stir Fry

Super Hot Chili Sambal 

Made with fresh chopped Thai chilis, fresh ginger, garlic and lemon, this is a great hot sauce. It's similar to sriracha.  So if sriracha is your go-to chicken condiment, give this a try. You won't be disappointed.  It's about 7/10 on the heat scale and it's packed with flavor and fresh ingredients.  It's low in sugar - 2.5 g per tablespoon.  

Cambodian Coconut Peanut Sauce

All I have to say is grilled chicken satay.  Just dip it a little bit.  We make this sauce with all natural peanut butter, creamy coconut milk, fresh lime and Thai spices - it's nutty and creamy with a nice bit of lime zing and chili kick.  It's a bit higher in calories 60 Calories per serving (2 Tbs) but if you want your chicken to taste good, this is it and you don't need a lot of it. Winner of this years NYC fancy food show sofi™ gold for outstanding cooking sauce and outstanding new product.  

Recipe: Chicken Satay with Cambodian Coconut Peanut Sauce

Balsamic Blueberry Maple Vinegar 

This vinegar is so versatile.  Use it as a salad dressing or as a marinade.  It works well with all your white meats, turkey, chicken, pork and duck. This is a customer favorite - who doesn't love a good balsamic with their chicken, veggies and salads?  

Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Blueberry Sauce

Jamaican Jerk Pineapple Chutney

If you love jerk spice and grilled chicken, than this is your kind of chutney.  We use fresh grilled pineapple, sweet and spicy aromatic jerk spice, chili pepper spice and fresh mint in this condiment and it is awesome spooned over grilled chicken skewers, grilled chicken breasts, blackened fish and shrimp.  You can also fold it through a chicken and brown rice stir fry.

Strawberry Rhubarb Finishing Vinegar

Do you like summer salads with grilled chicken, nuts and berries?  If so, then try this.  You don't need any oil. Just drizzle a bit of this over top. It tastes like grandma's strawberry pie in a bottle.  Ahhhyeessss please. 

Recipe: Strawberry Salad with Grilled Chicken and Pecans

Lemon Green Tahini Dressing 

This dressing is so healthy and super clean.  We make this with 100% lemon juice, sesame tahini, fresh dill, fresh greens and olive oil.  It's zingy, lemony, creamy and herbaceous. We don't use canola oil in any of our products and we only use non gmo ingredients.  There is no sugar added to this.  ZERO!  Only a little bit of fat from the sesame tahini and olive oil but both are "good for you" fats. This dressing is the bomb diggity for a healthy drizzle over chicken.  I use it over chicken skewers, grilled chicken salads with roasted veggies, and I use it instead of mayo for chicken salad lettuce wraps. It's one of my favorites!

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Chili Paste, Sambal, Sriracha, Hot Sauce!!! What's it all about, which should I choose? Are they really that different? The answer is well yes and no. Yes they are all based on hot chili peppers and in their own right are all hot, but if it is character of flavor that drives your hot sauce obsession than the differences are like chalk and cheese.

Hot Sauces of the World

Let's break down some differences of the worlds hot sauces. The first noticeable differences between hot sauce, sambal, pastes and sriracha are simply their countries of origin.
Pastes: most all countries having a hot paste to call their own.
Hot sauce: or "hot salsa" being of the Americas
Sambal: versions being from Indonesia, Malaysia or Sri Lanka.
Sriracha: though being Thai in origins, most are more familiar with the bastardized American version of this sauce. 

Countries of origin directly influence ingredients typically used in each and in turn flavor profiles differ as a result. Asia using common ingredients like tamarind, shrimp pastes and ginger where the Americas typically use vinegar and fruits. Fermentation goes a long way to bring an umami funk to all these ingredients.
Finally, the method of "how is it made" goes a long way in how the ingredients are represented, presented and respected. Some are chunky, some are fresh straight pastes and many resemble a more ketchup type consistency.

Let's start with Pastes:

Chili Pastes: Most all countries have a version of a hot condiment or paste which is essentially just that, the local chili peppers of the region are ground into a paste via a mortar and pestle. From here they might be seasoned with only salt, a sweetener or one or two other herbs and spices and perhaps thinned to a more dipping sauce consistency or rounded out with a Umami ingredient like dried shrimp or through fermentation. Pretty much everything falls under the umbrella of chili paste and for anywhere you can stab your finger at the map, you'll find a complimentary hot condiment for that region. I've listed some favorites and a few lesser known. Every household will have it's own variation and family recipes of these. Some are sweet, others meaty or bright and fresh in flavor.

My Favorites.

Nam Prik Pao: Thailand. I love this bad boy. Classically Thai in that clash of sweet, sour, savory, umami and spice. A very sweet jammy medium heat paste. Great for seafood, noodles and stir-fry. Made chunky, with scallions, garlic, palm sugar, dried shrimp, and fish sauce which helps rounds out the sweetness with a salty savoriness. Great fun; unmistakable flavor, I love it!!! Found in Asian supermarkets labeled chili paste in soy bean oil, but plenty of recipes online to build your own.

Harissa: Tunisia. Another "more than just chili" chili paste. Full of cumin, fennel seed, caraway, garlic, sometimes tomato or lemon juice, usually roasted red pepper. Great for meats, seafood, eggs, and tagine. Our Moroccan Tomato Onion Relish is all this but without the heat. Full of flavor, an Australian favorite.

S'rug: Yemenite. Similar to South America chimichurri, and North Africa's Chermoula, by that I mean its a herb packed, bright and fresh hot sauce. Different by the fact it lacks the acid of a vinegar or preserved lemon as in the other two, but all are full of cumin, garlic, coriander seed, chili and fresh coriander and brought together with olive oil. A bright fresh full flavored paste. Think hummus, falafel and lamb as pairings for this one.

Gochujang: Korea. is a savory, spicy, and pungent fermented Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented for months even over years in large earthern pots outdoors. Once fermented, the gochujang resembles tomato paste in color and texture, and has a similar earthy sweetness punctuated by a bite of lingering heat from the red chiles. Gochujang is similar to sriracha in taste, but there are some key differences. Garlic is a major component in the making of sriracha, and you won’t find that same flavor in gochujang. What gochujang offers, though, is a big dose of umami that sriracha just doesn’t have. The fermentation of the glutamates in red chiles produces an almost meaty flavor in the background.

What about straight HOT Sauce

Hot Sauce: Americas. Although everything in this post is a hot sauce, when I hear "hot sauce" as the only name used, I think about it in the Caribbean, Louisiana sense of the word and by that I mean vinegar based.

Sometimes sugar is added along with fruit or vegetables and the variations on chili peppers used leads to a greater variance in heat or what is referred to as the Scoville scale. Some are thin, others resemble more a ketchup consistency like ancho chili paste. Earlier American versions of hot sauce often used a milder Tabasco or cayenne pepper where as Caribbean and South American versions used hot mustard and the very hot Scotch Bonnet or Habanero pepper and were often balanced by fruits or a little sugar.
 
Now I'm not here to listen to your hero's encounter of the hottest hot sauce you ever tried and how you had to sign a waiver before trying it and now your big man on campus... no. The common thread for me in all these hot sauces is that sour bite of cheap distilled vinegar hidden in there. With vinegar as the main preserving ingredient you basically have a product to be used to add heat for the sake of adding heat, it's rarely about the meal you are using it with or the peppers used, as much as it is just about how hot is the sauce that you are using. For me a traditional "vinegar-based" hot sauce (of which there are so many wonderful variations and flavors) are a great way to add heat to a finished meal. Although they can work in some dishes like wings or salsa; as a leading ingredient, they are notoriously difficult to cook with.

Take Americas earliest recognizable brand of hot sauce Tabasco. No matter what you do with it or where it's used, you can almost always taste that unmistakable vinegar flavor of Tabasco sauce. Don't get me wrong, that's all I want over my rich buttery scrambled eggs, but when it comes to cooking I'd rather use fresh chili or something else any day of the week. Most of these vinegar based hot sauces are at home in American and Tex-Mex styled cuisine. I think often due to the high sugar content in basting and barbecue style of cooking, the vinegar helps balance the sweetness in these sauces. For me, as a chef, when I attempt to use these vinegar based hot sauces on their own, that comes with it's problems.

Hot Salsa: Mexico. There is an exception though, well two actually. Mexico and New Mexico Hot Sauce or Hot Salsa. In both cases, vinegar is used sparingly or not at all. In Mexico's case the individual flavor takes precedence over it's heat, popular chili peppers include chipotles, jalapeño and Ancho along with Pasilla and Guajillo which make up the “holy trinity” widely used in mole sauces. Because many of Mexican traditional hot sauces or "hot salsa" are made from fresh ingredients and balanced and enhanced with the flavors of chili peppers, it makes them much easier to cook with. There is great respect to all the ingredients used and a freshness unsurpassed by a vinegar based hot sauce designed just for heat. New Mexio's two hot sauces often made more like a gravy and come in either red or green. The peppers are roasted skins removed and cooked with a roux made from lard and flour which thickens and brings the sauce together. Almost every traditional New Mexican dish will be served with one of these sauces.

How about Sriracha?

Sriracha: Thailand/USA The story begins in Thailand and it goes that a local woman named Thanom Chakkapak started making the popular sauce in the 1930's originally for her friends and family, but later released it commercially as Sriraja Panich. Traditionally, this Thai version of Sriracha hot sauce tends to be a bit tangier and runnier than what has become so popular in the states. The flavor enhancer consisting of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt gets its namesake from the coastal city of Si Racha on the east coast of Thailand where it is commonly used as a dipping sauce for seafood. Originally fresh ingredients were ground down with a mortar and pestle.

The American version of Sriracha for me is more like a ketchup both in consistency, culture, flavor and method of preparation. Just like ketchup in that it has been so far removed from it's humble beginnings, by that I mean it has been processed from within an inch of it's life drowned in vinegar, sugar and salt, boiled thickened and bottled....  just exchange tomato for peppers. This might explain why America found it so very easy to embrace.

Despite being authentically Thai, in origin it would have to be one of the least Thai flavor profiles I think I can imagine. We usually associate Thai food with light fresh ingredients, sweet, sour and salty notes and chili. For me American Sriracha or rooster sauce is none of those things. It uses dried garlic, is heavily processed and its flavor, though hot is very muddy. Despite it's flavor it is much easier to be used than your usual vinegar based hot sauces. Lets face it, it's in everything over here from lollypops to pop corn. Thick enough for dipping, and a little squirt will add a nice little bit of heat with out completely changing the over all dish. For me Sriracha is always a bottle sitting lonely over in the corner of a Chinese restaurant on some tired fold out side table with the spare bottles of soy sauce. It is not very popular in Australia, I've never bought a bottle either as a chef or consumer and probably never will.

So What is Sambal Then?

Sambal: Indonesia, Malaysia or Sri Lanka. Sambal comes in many slight variations and with each is a variation in name. Sambal in it's simplest translation means chopped or ground. This fresh ground chili condiment is usually chunkier and full of seeds and texture and often with the addition of a sour, sweet or umami ingredient like lime, palm sugar, fish sauce or shrimp paste or a little bit of all. Usually served fresh, but can be cooked. Sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, hot or mild. Sometimes with the addition of tomato, herbs, fruit or spices. Some variations like ambal durian or Sambal tempoyak are fermented and aged creating wonderful depth of flavor while others made fresh and clean are sharper. The constant varieties and simple fresh ingredients and obvious lack of vinegar make Sambal a perfect companion to actually cook with and an essential addition to your pantry or culinary repetitoire.
 
Let's break down some variations, but there are hundreds more to explore and create.
The most recognizable;

Sambal Oelek (elek) A sambal in it's purest form and essentially just chopped chili with some variations calling for lime and/or salt. (bright red, thin and a little sharp in flavor)

Sambal Goreng Literally means "fried sambal". It is a mix of crisp fried red shallots, red and green chili, shrimp paste and salt, briefly stir-fried in coconut oil. Crisp fried shallots and Umami of shrimp give this a nutty flavor, great for noodles .

Sambal uyah-lombok A kind of sambal which is only made from raw chilli and salt. Very simple and easy to made, and usually eaten with steamed rice and fried foods like fried chicken. Clean savory heat.

Sambal tauco A Sulawesi sambal, contains the Chinese tauco (an Indo Chinese sauce made from fermented yellow soybeans), lime juice, chili, brown sugar, and salt. Balance with an Umami richness.

Sambal rica rica A hot sambal from Manado region, it uses ginger, chili, lemon and spices. Suitable for barbecue meats. Higher fresh notes.

Sambal tumis Chili fried with belacan shrimp paste, onions, garlic, tamarind juice. Tumis means "stir fry". Often the cooking oil is re-mixed with the sambal. A balanced, well rounded flavor.

Sambal lado mudo Literally a word for "green sambal". It is also known as sambal hijau or sambal ijo, also "green sambal". Sambal lado mudo, a West Sumatran specialty, used green chili, with dried shrimp, red shallots, garlic, and spices. It is one of those taste sensations that’s hard to beat with a unique fresh flavor that compliments the richness of Sumatran food so extremely well. The sambal is stir fried. 

Sambal setan A very hot sambal with Madame Jeanette peppers.  The name literally means "devil's sauce". (red brownish, very sharp)

That's why we choose a Sambal as our go to hot ingredient in our collection of condiments. We wanted something to be cooked with, with a balance of flavor, a medium high heat that will blend in and add heat to any type of cuisine, even if it's not Asian. What we took was the best of everything above to bring about a balance of flavor with a long palate. 

Health and Nutritional Benefits:

and last but not least are they good for you?

• Hot peppers and thus hot sauce are a great source of antioxidant such as vitamin-A, and flavonoids like ß-carotene, a-carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin, and cryptoxanthin. 

• Chilies carry a good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.

• Chilies are also good in B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that human body requires them from external sources to replenish.

• Chili peppers have amazingly high levels of vitamins and minerals. Just 100 g provides (in % of recommended daily allowance):

240% of vitamin-C (Ascorbic acid),
39% of vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine),
32% of vitamin A,
13% of iron,
14% of copper,
7% of potassium,

Diabetes Prevention and Well Being

A study published in the July 2006 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that when participants consumed a meal with capsaicin and a meal without it, their insulin levels were more normalized after consuming the capsaicin meal than the plain meal. This was especially true for overweight participants. The study indicates that the habitual consumption of meals containing capsaicin may be useful in preventing meal-induced hyperinsulinemia, or increased insulin levels, which can lead to insulin resistance -- and Type 2 diabetes.

Adding hot sauce to your diet is good for your mental health too. Eating spicy peppers feels good. Capsaicin binds to pain receptors in the mouth and nose, which creates a burning feeling that gets passed along to the brain. The brain reacts by releasing endorphins, which are natural opioids that produce a feeling of well-being. So if your too old to hit the rave scene any longer than that spiritual explosion of endorphins you're looking for might be as easy as reaching for the hot sauce!

Recipe:  Poached Eggs with Wozz! Super Hot Chili Sambal 

We are excited to announce that our Thai Peach Basil Salsa is back for a limited time!   We make this salsa once a year using only fresh summer peaches, fresh basil and Thai chili spice.   This salsa, I have got to tell you is a labor of love.  Every peach is pitted and hand cut by us.  It's a lot of work which is why we do 1 big batch and call it good until the next peach season arrives!   So get in while the gettin's good!   It's delicious atop grilled swordfish, mahi mahi, pork chops, duck, on these killer chicken tacos and with plain ole tortilla chips.