In all the years I've been doing these strange food and drink posts, I don't think I've ever done one about condiments. So today is a first, I believe. I found these at the awesome Wegman's supermarket once again. Their points of origin are convoluted, which is why the geographic description in the title is so vague. The three condiments I'll be covering are Heinz's salad cream, HP's fruity sauce, and Knorr's pommes (french fries, to Americans) sauce.
Heinz is actually an American company. Meanwhile, "salad cream" sauce was invented in England, in 1914. But, the Heinz salad cream I tried is a product of The Netherlands. (See what I meant when I wrote that these products' origins are confusing?) Anyway, Heinz was founded by Henry John Heinz back in 1869, as Heinz Noble & Company. The company went bankrupt in 1875. However, Heinz re-founded, kind of, another corporation called F & J Heinz in 1876, and this took off, and became the company that still exists today. In 2015 Heinz merged with Kraft to form a super conglomerate. This new firm is reportedly the 3rd biggest food/beverage company in the U.S., and the 5th largest in the world. (26.2 billion in annual sales as recently as 2017.) Henry John Heinz appears to have had an admirable obsession with the cleanliness of his wares. He, and his company, lobbied for the passing of the American Pure Food & Drug act in 1906. Along the same lines, he even offered employees who handled edibles free hot showers, and free manicures, to help keep the packers' hands and bodies sanitary. Salad cream sauce consists of oil in water, egg yolk, spirit vinegar, and then a combo of sugar, mustard, salt, and spices. It was introduced as a mayonnaise substitute due to the rationing in England at the time--presumably because of World War I, given the date. Why this sauce is then made in The Netherlands is beyond me, and my brief online research, though.
The HP story is similar to the Heinz salad cream one. This brown sauce was invented in London, England, by a Frederick Gibson Garton, and registered in 1895. Garton sold out to Edwin Samson Moore by 1903. Various company changeovers occurred over the next century, and since 2005 the brand is owned by Heinz, and manufactured in The Netherlands. HP stands for "Houses of Parliament," and has become a cultural icon of England. It was known colloquially as "Wilson's Sauce" in the 1970's, since the Prime Minister at that time, Harold Wilson, supposedly put in on nearly everything he ate. HP is also sold in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S. (But seemingly not much, if at all, in The Netherlands, which seems weird to me.) The fruity variant I tried has mango and orange added for the tang. Alternate flavors sold include a barbecue kind, and one made with Guinness.
Knorr is a German company, founded way back in 1838 by Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorr. The original company purpose was providing chicory to coffee manufacturers. Eventually the company expanded to marketing dried soups, and bouillon cubes, and then sauces. In 2000 the firm was bought out by the British/Dutch Unilever, another giant worldwide company. In addition to Europe, Knorr products are also sold in Indonesia, India, and Pakistan.
1) HP fruity sauce: Has a red color, and thus looks like cocktail sauce. Taste reminds me of Worcestershire sauce, but slightly sweeter. Since I'm not a fan of Worcestershire sauce, this isn't a positive. Not terrible, but far from great. The worst of the three, in my view. The sweetness was off-putting, somehow. The texture was thick, and slow to pour. I tried it on a Smart Ones scrambled egg, ham, potato, and cheese meal, on Brazilian toasts (see my May 11, 2019 post), and with pizza crusts.
2) Knorr pommes sauce: Had a yellowish-white hue, with tiny green bits visible. Once again, I tried in on a Smart ones egg and cheese meal, Brazilian toasts, on pizza crusts, and then on tomatoes. I found it to be mediocre. Rather like a typical mayonnaise, and kind of bland.
3) Heinz salad cream: Yellowish-white in color. Tried it with the same foods as the previous, minus the pizza crusts. I liked this one. It was mayo-like, but had some extra "uumph," or added tang flavor. The best of the bunch by far.
I should mention that my father tried these, too. He really enjoyed the Heinz salad cream as well, and also liked the HP sauce, while thinking the Knorr was just average. I'll definitely buy the Heinz salad cream again, and would be willing to sample the regular HP if I see it for sale. (And I should try these on fries (chips) too, especially the Knorr kind--I'll update this post when I get around to that.)
Heinz is known for it "57 varieties" listing on many of its products. I was somewhat surprised to learn that this isn't an accurate title or number. Henry John Heinz just thought it was a good number to put on labels, especially the number 7. He thought this was effective because the "psychological influence of that figure and of its enduring significance to people of all ages." Numerology beliefs aside, Heinz also has had a long running and successful promotional product, the "pickle pin." These pins, which look exactly like you would think, have been provided since 1893, when they were given away at the World's Colombian Exposition, better known as the World's Fair in Chicago. I've never seen one, but maybe I hang around folks who don't appreciate food-based fashion accessories.
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