Zaaschila – Pequin Salsa Picante Gourmet
This is another sauce that I brought back with me from Mexico. The Zaaschila brand has started to show up on American grocery store shelves, but their three-entry Gourmet line of sauces doesn’t appear to have made it north of the border yet.
Looking up Zaaschila they’re a Mexican company based out of the northern Mexican state of Nueva Leon, and are inspired by the ancient Zapotec culture of Oaxaca. Having been around for close to 30 years their line of products has consistently grown and includes a wide range of affordable hot salsas and sauces found in plastic squeeze bottles, and a three entry Gourmet line that comes in nice premium feeling glass bottles.
This is the first entry from their Gourmet line that I’ve tried, and not having had much experience with Pequin peppers it looked especially appealing to me. The Pequin pepper is native to the Mexican state of Tabasco in extremely southern Mexico but has spread and grows both wild and cultivated in many areas of the Mexican highlands. Due to having rather specific conditions to best flourish including warm days, cool nights, and well drained soil with a semi-shaded area, this isn’t the easiest pepper to cultivate, which is perhaps why it’s not as common to see sauces based on this pepper.
The sauce has a nice earthy appearance with pepper bits evidenced inside, and a medium consistency that pours easily but is not runny. On the nose it smells similar to Mexican sauces such as Valentina or Cholula. Flavor is where this sauces diverges from other Mexican sauces I’ve tried. The Pequin pepper brings a wonderful combination of both earthiness and beautiful citrus notes. Combined with a base of tomatillo and tomato to add some additional tartness and fullness to the flavor this sauce packs a flavor punch much larger than its very mild level of heat.
I loved this on some fajitas and tacos, and found that combining it with a charred habanero sauce to bring the heat gave great flavor synergy – those charred notes helping reinforce the earthy notes in the Pequin peppers while also making the citrus flavor of the Pequin stand out more. This flavor profile of this sauce does lend itself most to Mexican and other Latin American food.
If you can find this on the shelves or happen to visit Mexico and have some space to bring it back this is a sauce I can recommend. It’s tasty and features a pepper that isn’t often seen in sauces in the USA.
Ingredients: Water, Tomatillo, Tomate Rojo (tomato), Sal Yodada (iodized salt), Chile Pequin, Almidon Modificado de Maiz (modified corn starch), Acido Acetico (acetic acid), Acido Citrico (citric acid), Especias (spices), Goma Xantana (xanthan gum), Aceite Vegetal (Soya y/o Canola) (vegetable oil, soy or canola), Jugo de Limon (lemon juice), Benzoato de Sodio y Sorbato de Potasio (Conservadores) (sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate as preservatives), Cilantro, Colorantes Artificiales: Tartrazina, Dioxido de Titanio y Rojo Allura AC (artificial colors: tartrazine, titanium dioxide, Red Dye #40)
Heat Level: 1/10. This is a very mild sauce, about the same level as Frank’s or Crystal.
