Sauces to add more taste to your favourite Venezuelan food

Lunches prepared by moms and grandmas are fondly remembered because their meals, besides being made with love, have a special and different taste, a flavour that takes you back to childhood with the most delicious smells and flavours. What is their secret?

Most probably the secret is in the seasonings, condiments and dressings that moms and grandmothers wisely add to their meals. The years of experience in the kitchen make them experts in adding the exact measure of these products to reinforce the flavour of the food.

The gastronomic market is very wide in Venezuela, and includes a variety of products to prepare and season everyday foods. One of the most recognized companies for manufacturing and distributing this type of product is McCormick.

McCormick is a global food company that manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning blends, condiments and other flavouring products for the industrial, restaurant, institutional and household markets.

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What is the history of this company?

In 1889, founder Willoughby McCormick and three other workers started their company in a warehouse and began selling beers, flavouring extracts, fruit syrup and juices door-to-door, in Baltimore.

Seven years later they bought the F.G. Emmett Spice Company, which was to be the beginning of a path of growth and acquisition of several companies.

McCormick's product range includes: spices and herbs, recipe mixes, extracts, seasonings, marinades, soups, sauces, toppings, homemade desserts, rice mixes, salad dressings and bread.

What is its trajectory in Venezuela?

In Venezuela, this brand manufactures, markets and distributes herbs and spices, blends and salts, dressings and vinaigrettes, sauces, teas and infusions, syrups and candies.

McCormick has been in the Venezuelan market for more than 50 years, and has a varied catalog for all needs and tastes. It's seasonings and blends allow you to give a personal touch to each dish, in addition to adding a gourmet flavour.

What are the most consumed liquid seasonings of the McCormick brand by Venezuelans?

Salsa de Soja:

This is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans. It is ideal for the preparation of salad dressings, rice, vegetables, meats and oriental-style dishes.

It can be used to accompany both oriental and western meals, or for stir-frying vegetables in the wok and marinating meats before cooking them in the oven. Available in presentations of 150 mili liters, 30mls and 3800g.

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Salsa Inglesa:

It is a fermented liquid condiment used as a flavouring for sauces. It is made from a mixture of spices (garlic, cloves, onion, red pepper, black pepper, ginger), tamarind, wine and anchovies.

It is perfect for use as a seasoning for meats, chicken, fish and vegetables or to accentuate the flavor of prepared foods and raw dishes. Available in presentations of 150mls., 30mls. and 3800g

Salsa de Ajo:

Liquid consistency sauce, with a delicious garlic flavour and a penetrating smell. Ideal for seasoning or dressing a large number of foods (meat, lamb, chicken, fish and seafood) and is used as a base for preparing dressings and other sauces. Available in presentations of 156 and 313g

Salsa de Ají:

Ideal to exalt the best of stews, but without stinging or numbing the taste buds. Its presence is distinctive in hallacas, stews and sancochos.

What recipes can be prepared with these condiments?

Salsa de Soja is commonly served with fried rice, lumpias, sushi or sashimi. It is also used in the preparation of fried vegetables, rice, breading, soups, in salad dressings or when frying fish, chicken, beef or pork, to add a sweet touch to the flavours.

Salsa Inglesa is used in Venezuela to prepare various dishes such as Sunday soup, stewed meat or chicken and in the preparation of hallacas stew, a typical Christmas dish.

In other Latin American countries, it is used to accompany seafood cocktails and ceviche, Jalapeños, Nachos and Tamales, when marinating meats and in the preparation of sandwiches or pizzas.

Salsa de Ajo is used to marinate foods and then cook them in the oven, on the grill or in a frying pan. It adds more flavour to ham and cheese omelets, it is used to prepare appetizers such as bread with butter and garlic, and it enhances the flavour of pasta and lasagna.

Salsa de Ají can be added to almost any dish to enhance flavours. Depending on whether it is sweet aji or hot aji, the flavor and strength of the dish will vary.

These are some of the liquid condiments commonly used by the Venezuelan family to season meals.

These products characterize family lunches, the most exquisite preparations, meetings and celebrations.

If you are tired of monotony in the kitchen and want to enhance the flavors of your meals, perhaps you need to include in your pantry salsa inglesa, salsa de soja, salsa de ají o salsa de ajo, you will not regret it.

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