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Martinique
A knife from Thiers gave it its name; oignon-pays, chilli and lime give it its character — sauce chien is never far from a grill in Martinique.
Spice or condiment from Martinique.
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The name of sauce chien owes nothing to the animal: according to most sources, it comes from a brand of knife. In the Antilles, the 'Chien' knife — recognisable by its dog-shaped punch mark and traditionally given as a wedding gift in Creole households — was used to finely chop the herbs that make up this seasoning. Born in the Antilles and forged in Thiers, in Puy-de-Dôme, the French capital of cutlery, it has accompanied Antillean families for over a century: created by the firm Sabatier Frère et Fils in 1880, later taken over by the cutlery maker France Exportation and then by Thiers-Issard in 1980, it is still entirely manufactured there. Another, less documented explanation also circulates: the name is said to come from the sauce's ability to accompany any dish, much like a stray dog that slips in everywhere.
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Sauce chien, sometimes called sauce créole, is a staple on tables in Martinique and Guadeloupe; it is also very popular in Guyane. Every island, and indeed every family, retains its own version: the recipe varies from home to home, particularly in its heat level. In Martinique, the Comité martiniquais du tourisme lists it among the island's essential specialities.
The gastronomic brochure of the Comité martiniquais du tourisme places sauce chien at the heart of a veritable Creole 'marathon of flavours': Féroce and Ti nain morue start the day, followed at apéritif time by accras, boudin créole and fried balaous — and it is as an accompaniment to these dishes that the 'incomparable sauce chien' comes into its own, prepared with oignons-pays, parsley, infused thyme, chilli and garlic. The Comité's page dedicated to culinary specialities presents it in the same way: the sauce that accompanies salt cod accras in particular, but just as readily grilled meat or fish and apéritifs in general.
Appearance
Chopped, green and flecked sauce, dotted with visible pieces of onion, cive and parsley, slightly runny once the oil and lime are incorporated.
Aroma
Lively and aromatic, dominated by garlic, infused thyme and chilli.
Taste
Very hot — the West Indian chilli that seasons it is rated 10 out of 10 on the Scoville scale — and tangy from the lime.
Texture
Finely chopped, slightly runny, somewhere between a sauce and a condiment.
onion, cive (oignon-pays), parsley, infused thyme, chilli, garlic, oil and lime.
tomato, ginger or a little stock added to the base, with the heat level remaining the main variable from one home to another.
onions, cives (oignon-pays), parsley and garlic are finely chopped.
the infused thyme and West Indian chilli, among the hottest on the Scoville scale, are added to the chopped mixture.
oil, lime and a little simmering water bind everything together; some add tomato, ginger or stock.
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Colourful and spicy, sauce chien pairs with many Antillean dishes: grilled chicken or fish, spiny lobster, or accras. In Martinique, it accompanies accras in particular, all grilled dishes and apéritifs, whether meat or fish.
Sauce chien bears no official quality sign: a family and artisanal condiment, it varies from one home to another, particularly in its heat level, and does not fall under any PDO (AOP), PGI (IGP) or Label Rouge scheme known to date.
No producer is listed for this product yet.