What The Hell Is Banana Sauce?
My friend Adam (known in some circles as Car Accidents Bernstein) was in town a little while ago and started gushing about something called “banana sauce”. He said it was delicious, a little hard to find and…well…that was about it.
Lately, I’ve been wandering into some of the cheaper ethnic markets in my neighborhood (more on that at a later date) and found what I came to realize was a Filipino market. Well, guess what I found? A whole mess of banana sauce. I asked the owner what he uses at home, and he pointed me to the popular brand UFC. 19.4 ounces, $1.34. I’ll take it.
Then I went home and tried it. And you know what? It’s great. It’s essentially a ketchup made from bananas rather than tomatoes, then died red so that it looks more like ketchup (and I would guess, less like mashed up banana paste). It’s sweeter than ketchup, is distinctly fruitier, has a strong smell of vinegar and is, well, just plain delicious.
So what’s it for? Wikipedia says “Filipinos use it in just about any food but it is geared more towards fried foods.” So look out french fries, here I come.
As for you guys? Go find yourself some banana sauce. If you’re on the Westside, they have it here:
Bahay Natin
9903 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 841-6773
