My husband...he's a thoughtful fella. Always thinking of me and he knows me so well. One of the things he knows best about me, is my love for all things hot. He was in Roanoke, VA working and was in proximity of Wine Gourmet, a wine/beer specialty shop that boasts the slogan "where the savvy shop for wine and beer". If you happen to be in the area, they are located at 3524 Electric Rd, Roanoke, VA . After looking through the shop he asks of the salsas 'which one is the hottest' and the sales rep lead him to a jar of Gunther's Gourmet Fiery Peri-Peri Dark Cherry Salsa. SOLD. When he brought it home to me, not being familiar with this 'peri-peri' and seeing the word 'cherry' had me curious. So I did some homework.
The Peri-Peri Pepper is also known as bird's eye, African devil, or African red devil. The exotic Peri-Peri is Africa's hottest pepper. Piri-Piri (aka Peri-Peri or Pili-Pili in some parts of Africa-confused yet?) sauce is known as a staple in Portuguese cooking. Piri piri's rank on the Scoville scale is 175,000.
Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries, LLC is owned and operated by two brothers Nick and Mike Lampros who were born and raised in Roanoke, VA. Mike, the youngest brother, attended the Culinary Institute of America, from which he graduated in 1991. There website brags of their fine ability to avoid artificial ingredients, preservatives, trans fats, and high levels of sodium and cholesterol. So. There's Nick and Mike...whose last name is Lampros...so who the heck is Gunther you ask? He was man’s best friend, Chef Mike’s dog,
a brindle boxer. Because of him and the company's belief
in community service, a portion of Gunther’s
profits will be donated to the SPCA.
According to their website, in 2013, a Fiery Food Challenge sponsored by Chili Pepper Magazine was held and this salsa took first place in the category Salsa - Fruit (Hot/X Hot) and 2nd place in the Salsa - Exotic Blend category.
So now. Time to taste. I grabbed a bag of tortilla chips and popped open the jar. I absolutely love the pulpy texture of this salsa, much like that of a Mexican restaurant style. My preference is to have it this way vs. a chunkier salsa. It has a deep red hue that screams the use of fresh, all natural ingredients. The first bite is rich and full of flavor hitting me hard with acid and heat. The fiery burn stays with you after the swallow, in your throat and down into your chest, resting there with a gratifying heat sensation like leftover embers in a campfire. It has that crisp, fresh taste of being homemade salsa, as if your own abuela made this in her kitchen. Both before and after the heat comes and goes, you get the hints of the red bell pepper and garlic. While I loved trying it in it's purest form, I've already pictured me having this as a dipping sauce for shrimp cocktail while sipping a cool, refreshing glass of Riesling.
If you would like to try for yourself, find a store near you OR order from their website: http://www.gunthersgourmet.net/
