This Old-School BBQ Sauce-Like Condiment Seems To Have Vanished - Tasting Table

"First things first: Even the most cursory glance around the internet will reveal that virtually every account of monkey sauce -- known in South Africa, even more confusingly, as "monkey gland sauce" -- feels obliged to confirm that no, it does not contain actual monkey (do recipes for monkey bread need to offer this reassurance?). Rather, monkey sauce is a deceptively simple yet hugely adaptable accompaniment to meat, and no traditional South African braai (the local style of barbecue) is complete without it."

"Monkey sauce did enjoy some popularity in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. This is not surprising, as its flavor profile - a mixture of sweet and savory, spicy and piquant - is similar to many BBQ sauces. At its simplest, monkey sauce is a mixture of chutney, tomato ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce, though much like burger sauce or Thousand Island dressing, this commonly agreed upon base can be endlessly modified."

"Its origins are unknown, with most accounts carrying a heavy hint of the apocryphal. One popular theory is that a chef created it to mock the supposedly unsophisticated South African palate by mixing together some pantry staples as a joke, but inadvertently produced an instant classic. Another enduring legend claims that the sauce was invented in London's Savoy Hotel and named for Dr. Serge Abrahamovitch Voronoff, a controversial scientist who experimented with using monkey glands to combat impotence."

Monkey sauce is a South African condiment, also called monkey gland sauce, that does not contain actual monkey. The sauce combines sweet, savory, spicy, and piquant flavors, commonly made from chutney, tomato ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce. Chutney provides versatility, allowing simple mixes or longer-simmered reductions. The sauce is a staple at South African braais and found brief popularity in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. Origins are unclear and surrounded by legends: one story credits a chef mocking local tastes, another links the name to Dr. Serge Voronoff and London's Savoy Hotel. The base formula is highly modifiable.

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