Akabanga, which loosely translates to 'secret' in Kinyarwanda, is as fun to eat as it is to say... At first bite, the chile oil is decidedly meaty, reminiscent of steak or mushrooms. Then, dizzying levels of heat coat the palate.
The fluorescent-orange oil came in an eye-dropper container and seemed innocuous enough. But I quickly regretted my decision to dip my grilled cheese in a quarter-sized puddle: this stuff was industrial-strength.
Unlike most hot sauces, its spice doesn't linger, which keeps you going back for more. Rwandan street food vendor and Akabanga creator Sina Gerard reportedly made his urusenda in the early 1980s.
Rwandan chile oil had somehow eluded me. I felt my face heat up and my scalp tickle. Akabanga is a popular branded version of urusenda, the habanero and African bird's eye chile-infused oil.
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