I wandered into African Breese Imports this past Saturday and on a whim picked up the "HOT" version of Ebesse Zozo Hot Sauce. My mom likes some heat to just about everything she eats, so I thought she might be curious to try some African-style chili sauce.
Ebesse Zozo Hot Sauce (the "hot version") is quite spicy, and generally a good deal spicier than most chili sauces you can buy in a popular supermarket. You'd probably have to go to a speciality store like South China Seas or The Gourmet Warehouse to get something comparable or stronger.
Be sure to shake very well. Before you pour, check for large lumps. Break them up and then shake again.
What's interesting to me about Ebesse Zozo is that the sauce doesn't have much flavour on its own. It's mostly just heat. So, you can throw it in anything or dip anything with it, and expect that the sauce won't overwhelm the taste of the food. It'll just add heat.
Depending on what you have eaten or what you are eating it with, your experience will change. But if you take it straight, there is initially a bit of sweetness, followed by bitterness, which also quite quickly disappears. If you mix it with mayonnaise, there is just initial sweetness but no bitterness. Again, the flavour disappears quickly and you are back to eating whatever you dipped it in, just with a buzz of heat in your mouth.
The heat can also quickly settle into your gut for a warm and slightly tingly feeling that is actually not unlike the onset of a stomach ache. This, however, is probably related to just how much you take.
The bottle of Ebesse Zozo cost a rather scary $11.10. On the plus side, it is a "locally made" (Nelson, BC) product with no preservatives or other chemicals -- or, as my friend says, it's "very clean".
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