''Ají'' is a spicy sauce that contains
''ají'' peppers,
oil,
tomato
The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
es,
cilantro (coriander),
garlic,
onions, and
water
Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
. It is served as a
condiment
A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...
to complement main dishes popular in
Latin American cuisines, and prepared by blending its ingredients using a food processor or blender. Although ''ají'' sauce recipes can vary from person to person, there are generally country-specific and region-specific varieties.
Description
''Ají'' is a spicy sauce made from ''ají'' peppers that is usually served to accompany other dishes in a variety of Latin American cuisines.
[Mautone, Gianna. "A Vegan Taste of ECUADOR." ''Vegetarian Journal'', vol. 32, no. 3, 2013, pp. 6-8''. ProQuest.''] Its most basic ingredients include ají peppers, water, oil, garlic, cilantro, and salt.
Ingredients are usually blended together using a blender or food processor.
''Ají'' has been prepared in Andean countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru since at least the time of the
Incas, who called it ''uchu''.
It is usually added to other foods such as ''
anticuchos'', ''
chugchucaras'', soup, ''
chorizo'', or ''
empanadas''.
In Colombia and Ecuador, food is traditionally milder, so ''ají'' can be added to almost any dish to add flavor and spice. Recipes vary dramatically from person to person and from region to region, depending on preference.
The core ingredient of ''ají'' sauce, ''ají'' peppers (''
Capsicum baccatum''), was originally grown in South America.
While these peppers have a
Scoville Heat Unit of 30,000–50,000, depending on the variety of pepper and preparation technique, the spice level of ''ají'' sauce is variable.
Varieties
Chile
In
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
there is a popular
hot sauce
Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa (sauce), salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of Mass production, mass-produced hot sauce exist.
History
Humans have used chili peppers and other ho ...
known as ''ají chileno'' that uses the peppers''.'' Chileans also make a
salsa called ''pebre'' using the peppers combined with tomatoes, cilantro, onions, oil, and vinegar which is typically eaten with bread.
Ecuador
In
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, ''ají'' sauce is prepared using one of the over 30 ''ají'' pepper varieties available in the country.
These ''ají'' peppers vary in spice level and this, combined with the amount of water used to dilute the sauce, can create variation in the level of spice between sauces.
Some regions are also known for their addition of fruits, in addition to the basic ingredients, which leads to further variety of the sauce within the country.
North West Amazonia
A variety of ají sauce called ''ají negro'' (also called ''Ommaï, Kígai, Do-Hmepa, Ualako'') is made by the
indigenous peoples
There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
of the North West Amazonia.
This variety is prepared using the juice of bitter
manioc.
Peru
Peru is known for a variety of ''ají'' sauce called ''ají amarillo sauce''.
This variety uses ''ají amarillo'' and is notable for its yellow color. ''Ají amarillo'' is used widely across Peru as an addition to sauces.
The spice level of ''ají amarillo'' is comparable to
serrano peppers registering at 15,000 on Scoville Heat Unit Scale, although sometimes registering at 30,000 to 50,000 SHU.
Oftentimes this variety of ''ají'' sauce is mixed with
mayonnaise
Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...
, ''
crema'', or
sour cream to accompany
potato
The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...
es,
sandwich
A sandwich is a Dish (food), dish typically consisting variously of meat, cheese, sauces, and vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed atop a slice of bread; or, more generally, any dish in which bread serves as a ''co ...
es,
meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
, and
ceviche.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has a variety of ají sauce called ''ajilimojili''.
["Celebrate Traditional Puerto Rican Fare." Tampa Bay Times, Jul 31, 2019, pp. 3. ProQuest.] This variety uses ''aji dulce'' peppers and is notable for its green color.
United States
In the United States, several pre-prepared varieties of ''ají'' sauce, including ''aji rocoto'' hot sauce and ''aji amarillo'' sauce, can be purchased in Latin American markets or specialty food stores.
["New Dressing, Sauces & Spreads." ''Prepared Foods'', 2019''. ProQuest.''] The pepper required for some varieties of ''ají'' sauce, including that of the Peruvian ''ají amarillo sauce'', is not grown commercially in the United States.
Gallery
See also
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List of condiments
A condiment is a supplemental food (such as a sauce or powder) that is added to some foods to impart a particular flavor, enhance their flavor, or, in some cultures, to complement the dish, but that cannot stand alone as a dish. The term ''cond ...
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List of dips
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List of sauces
The following is a list of notable Culinary art, culinary and prepared sauces used in cooking and food service.
General
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* – Creamy sauce accompanies with seafood
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References
External links
Eshbaugh, W. Hardy. Peppers: History and Exploitation of a Serendipitous New Crop Discovery (1993)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aji (sauce)
Bolivian cuisine
Chilean condiments
Chilean sauces
Chili pepper dishes
Colombian cuisine
Ecuadorian cuisine
Latin American cuisine
Peruvian cuisine
Sauces