Things on the side

Clockwise: green mango chutney, achaar, hummus, pesto, mango sour, hot pepper sauce

This week's column is all about those little spoonfuls, okay for some of us it's heaping spoons full of that tart, sweet, sour, salty, or smokey can't-eat-my-food-without-it goodness. In a word, loosely described as condiments. It's the little something that makes your meal special, more tasty, more flavourful.

Some people also describe them as pickles, preserves, chutneys, dips, sauces, salsas etc depending on which part of the world you are from.

Scotch bonnet pepper sauce

Many of these things are great also on sandwiches as spreads, as accompaniments to various cooked seafood and meats or just with some plain rice and of course, roti. Experiment with the flavours and various combinations, you'll be glad you did.

Basil pesto

I've posted recipes for these condiments in other posts and many are also available online but if you'd like mine, send me an email.

Read the column here and click here to read and comment about The Craziness and Creativity of Foodies.

Mango achaar