Sunday, November 02, 2008

I say, HP Sauce has the flavour I crave


If I were to compile a list of my Top Ten Favorite Condiments -- I'm talking about condiments here, not hot sauces -- HP Sauce would surely be in the top five.  If you've never had HP Sauce, son, you're missin' out.
 
A Scottish fellow with whom I used to work, name o' Craig, turned me on to HP Sauce (HP stands for "Houses of Parliament) some six or seven years ago.  Craig was eating a turkey sandwich one day, and he was absolutely coating it with a bottle of something that looked like store-brand A1.  "What is that?" I asked.  "HP Sauce," he replied.  (In his quick-talk Scottish brogue "HP Sauce" was one syllable.)   
 
Craig told me how folks in the United Kingdom put HP Sauce on everything: potatoes, chops, steaks, fish, vegetables, and, yes, sammiches.  At that point, I just had to try it.  He put a big dollop on a Lay's potato chip and handed it to me. As soon as the tangy, sweet , and spicy brown sauce hit my tongue ... let's just say I was immediately hooked.  Indeed, it didn't take long before I was pouring HP Sauce on potatoes, chops, steaks, fish, etc.   

HP Sauce has a pretty exotic ingredients list: dates, malt vinegar, tamarind extract, sugar, and spices (among others). I'm not a big fan of dates, so it's kind of funny that I enjoy eating something that features dates as a main ingredient. Enjoy it I do, however, and every time I break open a new bottle I can't help but think about Craig the Scotsman and his turkey sandwich.

In Nashville, you can find HP Sauce in the "British section" at your local Publix supermarket.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

so django. what is on your top ten condiment list?