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Product: Bushman's Chilli Sauces

The pulsating heat of Bushman's chilli sauces brings to your mouth the burning African sun, the vibrating heat of the red sand, and the warm winds of the Kalahari. Bushman's Chilli sauces come in attractive 125 ml bottles – a perfect table size. They each have a scale that indicates a heat index, ranging from 0 to 15.

Bushman’s Chilli sauces are a celebration of the San, a people often referred to as 'the Bushmen'. Ancestors of the San lived as hunter-gatherers and were the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa (see below). In a court case lasting four years, the San fought Botswana’s government for the right to live on their ancestral land. On December 13 2006, the San miraculously won their land back! This gives us much joy and we feel part of their victory. With every bottle of Bushman's Chilli sauces sold by Taste of Africa for almost 4 years, we have donated 4% of the purchase price to Survival International. This is an organisation that actively works to help the San Bushmen. We thank all of you that buy the Bushman’s sauces and - with your help - we will continue to support the San in the future.

New Bushman’s sauces

Bushman's Peri-Peri - Heat index 9 (click here to order)

If you think Hot Az Hell and Revenge are too hot to handle without gloves, this is the sauce you’ve waited for. You can actually eat it as it is with your food! Peri-peri is the most widely used chilli in Africa. It is said to enhance your metabolism and burn fat. It contains a natural antibiotic and lowers the effect of cholesterol. Apart from all its good health properties, this Peri-peri sauce enhances the flavour of any food you make! People also say it is a great aphrodisiac... Ingredients: fresh chillies (60%), spirit vinegar, herbs, spices, garlic, sugar, salt, sunflower oil, modified food starch, potassium sorbate (preservative).

Bushman's Red Hot Chilli Paste - Heat index 10 (click here to order)

The texture of this red hot chilli paste tempts you to take a spoonful in your mouth...! It looks fantastic, and blending this red hot chilli paste into your stews, curries, marinades or cold sauces will add a steaming hot flavour and a beautiful colour and texture to your cooking. Use it on top of a pizza base or make a wonderful chilli dip  (see recipe on label). Ingredients: chillies, vinegar, onions, spices, herbs, salt, sunflower oil, garlic, modified food starch, potassium sorbate (preservative).

Bushman's Fire - Heat index 10 (click here to order)

It's silky smooth texture and relatively faint red colour gives the impression that Bushman's Fire is a "harmless” chilli sauce. But that's not true! The heat in Bushman's Fire has a robust flavour; a sharp tang and its heat could be compared to that of a campfire. Ingredients: fresh chillies (80%), spirit vinegar, salt, food starch, potassium sorbate (preservative).

Hot Az Hell - Heat index 12 (click here to order)

The little town Hotazel, an oasis in the unforgiving trembling heat of the Northern Cape, gave its name to this chilli sauce. Just like its namesake, this sauce displays an array of flavours, married with a vibrant heat that compares to a veld fire (South African word for a grass, bush or forest fire). Ingredients: fresh chillies (50%), spirit vinegar, capsicum oil (1%), herbs, spices, garlic, sugar, salt, sunflower oil, food starch, potassium sorbate (preservative).

Bushman's Revenge - Heat index 15 (click here to order)

This bottle has a 'Warning' sign on it! Don't let it scare you off! This explosive sauce has a strong aroma, broad flavour and a less sudden hotness than Hot Az Hell but the heat lasts longer and could be compared to that of a bonfire. Ingredients: fresh chillies, spirit vinegar, capsicum oil, herbs, spices, garlic, salt, sunflower oil, food starch, potassium sorbate (preservative).

"Dynamite" - an exclusive chilli sauce with dark chocolate (click here to order)

This extremely hot chilli sauce is made with the finest Habanero chillies, mixed with dark Belgian chocolate, and matured for five years. It is a sauce made for the chilli lover and connoisseur. Let the flavours of prunes, spicy hot chilli & chocolate explode in your mouth! Ingredients: habanero chillies (40%), balsamic vinegar, olive oil, spirit vinegar, Belgian chocolate (70% cocoa), chilli oil (2%), food starch, potassium sorbate (preservative), spices, herbs, molasses, salt.

Exclusively for the chilli lover - check out this dessert drink:
Fire & Ice

1. place 2-3 scoops of good vanilla ice cream in a glass
2. blend together 20 ml Kahlúa, 10 ml Malibu rum and 2 drops Bushman’s Dynamite
3. pour over the ice cream and top up with whipped cream & chocolate sticks

The Bushmen of southern Africa

The range of Bushman's chilli sauces is a celebration of the earliest inhabitants of southern Africa – the San, a people often referred to as 'the Bushmen'. The unique culture of the ancestors of the San of today is revealed in archaeological sites, dating back hundreds of thousands of years, and in the legacy of their beautiful rock paintings, found throughout the southern tip of Africa. Ancestors of the San lived as hunter-gatherers, which means that they moved around to fulfil their needs for food and hides. They gathered wild plants and hunted both small and large animals. Near the sea, they lived mainly from fish and other sea animals.

Very tragically, the unity of the San as a distinct cultural and economical group vanished with the arrival of colonialism. Many were killed, enslaved, or employed as farm labourers or trackers, which by the beginning of last century eventually lead to the destruction of their cultural and traditional identity. Only a fragment of this rich culture prevails today in the San of the Kalahari. Struggling to maintain access to their land, now part of Kalagadi game reserve that extends over Botswana, South Africa, and Namibia, the Kalahari San have adopted many aspects of a western life-style and some keep domestic animals. The San of today speak a language with 'click' sounds, which is one aspect of their rich culture that has survived their transition from a widespread people to a marginalized cultural group that struggles to retain their identity.

The pulsating heat of Bushman's chilli sauces brings to your mouth the burning African sun, the vibrating heat of the red sand, and the warm winds of the Kalahari. By telling the story of the San, we want to pay a tribute to a fascinating culture, one of many on the African continent. We also want to say – it's not too late! You can still do something to help the San of today. With every bottle of Bushman's Chilli sauces sold by Taste of Africa 4% of the purchase price is donated to Survival international, (www.survival-international.org) an organisation that currently works to help solving the problems for the San people.

Further readings on the San:

Vanishing cultures of South Africa by P. Magubane. 1998, Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
In search of the San by P. Weinberg. 1997, Porcupine Press, Johannesburg.
The Bushmen of southern Africa. by S. Gall. 2001, Chatto and Windus, London.

E-mail: taste-africa@hermanus.co.za

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