Raise your hand if you’re a sauce girl! I DEFINITELY am!! I LOVE sauces of all kinds! When I marinate meat, I usually like to add more sauce to my own once I eat it. When I eat a burger, my fingers are ALWAYS sticky by the end because I add so much sauce… I usually need 2 or 3 napkins… Man… I LOVE me some sauce! I love to try new stuff too! One of my favorite things to do when I’m grocery shopping is to stop by the condiment aisle and try a new flavor that I’ve never had before… sometimes I find a winner… sometimes not so much. I was super-duper excited when I was generously given the opportunity to try a whole new brand of sauces from a great company from South Africa!! Veri Peri! This is the #1 sauce brand in South Africa and a staple in the homes of people there. There are 5 flavors to choose from, each ranging in heat from super mild to screaming hot. The mildest is the Lemon & Herb, followed by the Garlic, then Mild, then Hot, then Veri Hot. I decided to choose the first three to try out…. I must confess I’m kind of a wimp when it comes to spicy stuff… (I used to only be able to eat mild stuff, but surprisingly after pregnancy, now I can sometimes do medium)… I know… still a light foot! Here’s a little tidbit of trivia about Veri Peri:
Veri Peri is the number one cooking sauce brand in South Africa and a staple in the homes of its people. Made with the African Bird’s Eye Chili, considered the truffle of chilies, the gluten-free, dairy free and low carb Veri Peri delivers a smooth heat experience without overwhelming. It comes in five different flavors to suit every palate: mild, lemon herb, garlic, hot and veri hot. Unlike other hot sauces, Veri Peri can be used as a marinade, an ingredient in a favorite recipe, or a condiment.
New York, New York – February 28, 2012 – South Africa’s most popular cooking sauces – Veri Peri – from the South African company All Joy, are now available for the first time in the United States. Veri Peri won the Product of the Year Award in 2012 in a survey audited by Nielsen of more than 5,000 South African consumers in the sauces category. The women-owned business, Victorious Solutions LLC, is the exclusive importer to the U.S. of all five flavors of the gluten-free, dairy free and low carb Veri Peri cooking sauces which contain the African Bird’s Eye Chili. Harvested by hand, this chili is considered the truffle of chilies and is also called Peri-Peri or Pili-Pili. Veri Peri comes in five different flavors: mild, lemon herb, garlic, hot and very hot. It is affordably priced to meet any cooks budget at $4.99 for a 4.22 ounce bottle.
Unlike other hot sauces which tout physical pain, Veri Peri is smooth and delivers a heat experience without being overwhelming. It offers cooks an exhilarating flavor experience and can be used directly in a favorite recipe, as a marinade for meat, poultry or fish, or as a condiment on burgers, pizza, chops dips and soups.With its range of five flavors, Veri Peri offers a wide variety of heat levels to satisfy any palate. All Joy, the company manufacturing Veri Peri in South Africa for more than 20 years, has built a reputation of providing high quality cooking products at a fair price. All Joy’s motto is “Value makes friends and Quality keeps them.” Victorious Solutions LLC’s CEO Victoria Neale intends to bring that spirit of friendship into each and every American kitchen. Veri Peri can also be categorized as a “green” product because no heating or cooling is used when creating the cooking sauces.
I was super excited to get cooking when my bottles arrived! I Love how versatile this sauce is. It can be used for so many things. The ways I came up with included: Just an excellent marinade for baked chicken. I used the Lemon & Herb by itself because I really wanted the flavors to stand out. It was SOO good! No heat, but with a great fresh lemon taste and with plenty of interest from the herbs! Probably my fav!
I used the Garlic to toss with some potatoes that were then roasted. I also tossed some olive oil with it to mellow the heat… Yes, to me it was a bit spicy. There is a spice index on the bottle that listed it as a 3/10.( The Lemon & Herb had a 1.) Not too spicy, but with a good kick and plenty of garlic-y goodness! (I LOVE garlic!) The Mild was next, and I must say I haven’t been brave enough to actually cook with it yet. I tried some before cooking with it, as I do with all sauces I use, and I have to say it really woke my tongue up! 
Like I said before, I do have tender taste buds, so I wasn’t too surprised, especially considering it has a 5/10 index. Maybe I will get brave and crock pot some chicken for tacos, or it would also go great with a (splash) added to a black bean and corn dish. For all you spice lovers out there, I think this would be a great one to try first. It will definitely let you know it’s got some heat! I can only imagine the other two!!
Something I really like about these sauces is how creamy they are. They are also thick enough that they could stand up to being poured directly on as a condiment. The sky is the limit to what you can do with these sauces. I also love that they are super healthy, so they are a perfect addition to your pantry if you are health conscious and are always looking for a new way to do (chicken!) I personally think they give baked, grilled.. you name it meats that something special to turn ordinary into extraordinary! These sauces are definitely REAL Mom Recommended! Thanks Veri Peri!
