Spicefreak

Happy tuesday again, everyone! It feels like forever since I’ve said that simple line but here we are, back again with another transparent label item. A growing trend, it would seem, and one which I rather appreciate. Given that it puts an extra focus on the look of the sauce, itself.

Just like last time, however, the company behind today’s sauce use web photos that look quite different to what I see in person. With my own bottle, on the right, appearing far lighter and yellower than the dark green sweet chilli which I’d been led to expect:

Neither looks bad, this time around, but their photo suggests something deep and chlorophyllic, while my in-person shade boasts the potential for a more vibrant and tangy flavour. So I’m very curious as to what Pip’s Fuego del Verde actually tastes like.

Before I find out, though, I should probably take a brief moment to mention that there is a little more to their label than just uneven text on a transparent background. Both images also clearly show Pip’s artwork of choice – A skull-collecting, undead nightmare creature with slightly too many limbs for its otherwise near-human form.

I have no idea what it means – If anything at all – but it’s freaky, eye-catching and memorable. And it’s not as if we don’t get plenty of information from the sauce’s colour, anyway. It’s just unfortunately inconsistent.

So let’s see what the Fuego del Verde looks like on my spoon and give it a taste.

It’s a light green, much as it was inside the bottle, but we can now get a better look at the chunks floating within. Chunks which we can now see are mostly garlic but also contain the seeds and skin of the product’s green peppers.

Yet, despite how chunky today’s sauce is, it’s also remarkably thin and quick to flow, not clinging to the bottle neck at all. Because, to my surprise, it’s not nearly as sticky as I’m used to in a sweet chilli.

It is, however, just as tangy as I was expecting. The product’s liquid nature stemming from a high vinegar content, which makes itself known almost immediately and accentuates the already sharp and tingly,

heat in my throat.

Far from the strongest of chilli kicks, of course, but a good showing for a green sauce and a perfect balance to the Fuego del Verde’s sweetness. As are the strong undercurrent of garlic and the subtle green peppers, adding a light, fresh and savoury element to Pip’s otherwise almost pineapple-like, tangy sweet chilli.

Very much in line with what its real life appearance lead me to expect.

So, while it should still work well over stir-frys and especially so over egg fried rice, I very much enjoy its tang and freshness over cheesier dishes, too. Like pizza, lasagne and the vast majority of my mexican cooking. And I’d be very surprised if it didn’t go gorgeously over white fish.

The Fuego del Verde may be a rather simple sauce but it’s a good one and a surprisingly uncommon take on its genre, too. It contains:

Green peppers (42%), white vinegar (37%) (sulphites), suger (10.71%), garlic (7.14%), green chilli (3.5%), Salt.

And, while it doesn’t give a name to its pepper strain, I can still link you to Devon Chilli Man’s green sweet chilli, if you’ve enjoyed this one and want more like it. Just be aware that it’s a lot more in the heat department, making Pip’s the superior starting point and not simply the sauce of the day.

I’d recommend giving their Fuego del Verde a go.