Sabor Mineiro Condimonte – Malagueta Vermelha

Bitter: 🟡🟡○○○

Salty: 🟡○○○○

Sour/Tangy:🟡🟡🟡🟡○

Sweet: 🟡🟡○○○

Umami: 🟡○○○○

Heat: 🟡🟡○○○○○○○○

Quick Flavor Notes: Tangy, Sharp, Fruity

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Small whole chiles with a bit of chew

Ingredients: Red chili pepper, vinegar, water, salt, and INS 223 (sodium metabisulfite preservative).

As can be deduced from the Portuguese on the label, this product, translated into English as just red malagueta peppers, is from Brazil. Sabor Mineiro makes a variety of other Brazilian condiments including dende oil (the oil of a certain palm tree) that’s used famously in Brazil’s Moqueca fish stew as well as garlic pastes, other types of pickled peppers, and general Brazilian seasonings. The name of the brand means “Flavor of Mineiro” with Mineiro being the name of the inhabitants of Brazil’s second most populous state, the mountainous Minas Gerais. Having just tried a malagueta based hot sauce I was eager to see how it compared to the fresh peppers.

While I just reviewed Divine Pepper’s Glass of Milk which is malagueta based (and enjoyed it quite a bit) it has a number of other ingredients besides the peppers. Sabor Mineiro Condimonte Malagueta Vermelha is very simple – whole malagueta peppers, vinegar, water, salt, and (unfortunately) sodium metabisulfite as an artificial preservative. I mentioned it in my review of Glass of Milk but the malagueta pepper has a larger legacy than most people realize, being the progenitor of the peri peri pepper after the Portuguese took it from Brazil to Africa where it evolved into the pepper now widespread not only across that continent but in every Nando’s throughout the world. PIckled peppers (wether or not picked by Peter Piper) have a history not only in Brazil (where they’re commonly used in Churrascaria, fried fish croquettes, and as bar snacks) but also throughout the Mediterranean, the Hunan region of China, and even in the United States where pickled peppers or the vinegar they’ve soaked in are a common condiment on southern tables. Texas Pete makes a version using green tabasco peppers which I’ve had before and can be quite tasty.

Sabor Mineiro Condimonte Malagueta Vermelha present with a strong vinegar tang up front but as soon as that sharp vinegar hit dissipates the fruity and slightly earthy flavor of the malagueta washes over the palate. Texturally these are soft but still have a little bit of bite to them, though less than you’d get with the ubiquitous pickled pepperoncinis that grace Greek salads and Papa John’s pizza boxes. The flavor leans brighter than the pickled Calabrian chiles I tried from L’Oro Del Sud, but less grassy and vegetal than the pickled cherry peppers used in Tallarico’s Hoagie Spread. That fruity sharp brightness seems to be what makes the malagueta pepper special, and though related to the birdseye chile it doesn’t have the same characteristic sourness from the pepper itself that birdseye chiles typically have. The heat presents quickly with a sharp peak that dissipates with a moderately-short tail. These do pack more punch than the hot sauce I’ve tried based on them, though that’s often the case with whole peppers vs sauces based on them.

I found these little peppers to be super flexible in a wide variety of foods. I opened them up for use in their natural habitat of Churrascaria, or Brazilian barbecue, and they’re the perfect thing to cut through fatty bits of grilled pork and picanha. I also loved adding these on top of a hot dog where their bright fruity vinegary bite accented the spiced meat tube in exactly the way I’d hoped. These are also excellent on subs and sandwiches – a different experience from the Tallarico’s Hoagie Spread, but one that’s just as good and having small individual peppers instead of a chopped of spread means that little flavor bombs erupt here and there while you eat. I even enjoyed these with some leftover Indian food. Having run out of my onion chutney I threw some of these in and they brought the brightness needed to help offset the creaminess of the tikka masala sauce and the flavor matched surprisingly well.

I’ve fallen in love with the malagueta pepper and I’m happy to recommend Sabor Mineiro Condimonte Malagueta Vermelha. I picked this one up on Amazon for a good deal but it’s also given me the idea to stop by my local Brazilian grocery store to explore more of what they have available. If you enjoy pickled peppers and are looking for something a bit different than what’s