Mumbo Sauce

What do you get when you remix barbecue sauce to be a little bit sweeter and quite a bit spicier? A spectacular vermillion-hued condiment known as mumbo sauce or mambo sauce, depending on who you ask. With its ketchupy, vinegary base, this sweet-and-sour sauce is a staple at Chinese American carryout spots and soul food restaurants in predominantly Black neighborhoods in both Chicago and Washington, DC. 

Where it originated is up for debate. Chicago proponents trace the sauce to a Mississippi man, Argia B. Collins, who settled on the west side of Chicago in the 1940s. In the ’50s, Collins established what would become a renowned restaurant, where he introduced his piquant barbecue sauce. It was such a hit, he trademarked the name Mumbo Sauce and started selling it by the bottle. Meanwhile, DC mumbo sauce fans contend that the condiment was invented at Wings-n-Things, an area restaurant famous for its fried foods, in the 1960s. And these days Capital City Mambo Sauce is a popular DC brand.

Whatever its provenance, mumbo sauce gets its signature flavor from various means. Our version pulls in tropical sweetness from pineapple juice, earthy warmth from white pepper, and tangy heat from Louisiana-style hot sauce. The result is bright, punchy, and viscous. Keep a batch in the fridge and use it to slather ribs, glaze chicken wings, and marinate fish or as a dipping sauce for french fries and egg rolls.