Tired of the same old mayo, mustard, ketchup, and barbecue sauce? Why not try something unique instead? While a Mashed poll of 23,000 people found that ketchup was by far the favorite condiment, there is a long list that you probably haven’t tried and you might even find you like more.
Banana Ketchup
A twist on the favorite, banana ketchup is popular in the Philippines. A fruit condiment created during the World War II shortage, it’s made up of mashed bananas, spices, sugar, and vinegar. Similar to the ketchup you’re familiar with for dipping French fries in, it can be used on those and anything from burgers to eggs.
Bacon Jam
If you’re looking for that perfect sweet and savory combination, bacon jam takes advantage of one of our favorite foods. A blend of slow-cooked bacon and caramelized onions with brown sugar that comes together to create a wonderfully thick spread. It can also be used as a marinade or a dip, fabulous on a cheese board, to top on a baked potato, burger, eggs, and more. Of course, we all know bacon makes everything taste better.
Ajver
While the word is seldom heard in the U.S., Ajver is a staple in the Balkan countries. It’s basically a relish, but instead of sweet onions and cucumber, it’s made with chili peppers, red bell peppers, garlic, and sometimes eggplant. It can be used to spread on crackers or toast when you want a kick without so much that your mouth is on fire. In Croatia, many put dollop on cevapcici, a Croatia sausage, which results in an explosion of smoky flavor.
White BBQ Sauce
BBQ sauce typically has that wonderful sweet tangy deliciousness with a red/brown color, but in the South, white BBQ sauce is a thing, particularly in Alabama where it was birthed. Bob Gibson of Decatur is credited with making it back in 1925, which means it’s been around for almost a century yet it’s just now being discovered by people in other parts of the country.
As of late, it’s starting to spread like wildfire. It’s not sweet but it is creamy and delicious as a mayonnaise-based sauce with a zest thanks to the horseradish and cayenne pepper. It’s often used with chicken but it can be added to just about any meat to give your next cookout a unique touch.
Currywurst Sauce
If German and Indian cuisine are two of your favorites, this one combines the two for the ultimate sauce to smother over your brats. A German-produced ketchup that adds curry, it’s been around for decades, becoming an institution in the country after it was invented in 1949 by Herta Heuwer in Berlin.
As the story goes, some soldiers gave Heuwer some Worcestershire sauce, curry powder, and ketchup they’d brought with them from the U.K. during the Second World War. She decided to experiment in order to come up with a sauce that would provide something different than the limited post-war ration. As a result, her flavorful sauce often poured over bratwursts hot off the grill was patented just a couple years later.
