List of Best Sauces in the World and Here's Why

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - When it comes to the best sauces in the world, gastronomical havens like Italy and Thailand don’t miss a single beat to participate in the festivity– think about legendary flavor plays of bolognese and curry paste. For locals and travelers alike, these legendary authentic tastes cannot be replicated by just anyone. 

Best Sauces in the World 

TasteAtlas, an encyclopedia of traditional dishes and authentic restaurants worldwide revealed their rankings of the best sauces in the world, with the inclusion of Ethiopia’s Awaze, Peru’s Salsa ocopa, and Lebanon’s Toum. See the top 10 contenders below: 

1. Awaze, Ethiopia 

Awaze from Ethiopia is the best sauce in the world partly due to the paste’s significance across the country’s platters. Combining various ingredients of berbere spice blend, t’ej (Ethiopian honey wine), lemon juice, and vegetable oil, Awaze can be served with almost every meal there is. Among many other local favorites to pour the sauce are derek tibs, gomen be siga, and tere siga. 

2. Salsa ocopa (Peruvian black mint sauce), Peru 

Usually served together with tequeños, salsa ocopa is the second best sauce in the world. Historically, it has an origin from Arequipa, and got well-known as a paste made with Peruvian black mint, milk, aji amarillo chilis, and queso fresco. On a lighter scale, salsa ocopa are often paired with hard-boiled eggs and boiled potatoes. 

3. Aji criollo, Peru 

With the addition of another spicy paste on the list, Peru can easily be deemed as a desirable culinary destination. Unlike the previous sauce, aji criollo has some depths to its level of spiciness, from mildly pleasant to exceptionally hot for first timers.

So, next time you fly to  Peru and see a yellow paste is offered alongside meat or fish dishes, be prepared for what to come. 

4. Toum, Lebanon 

The range of Middle Eastern cuisine is as vast as it is fulfilling, with Lebanese garlic paste, toum, taking the spotlight. Imagine having a whole garlic clove crushed together with the flavorful olive oil and lemon juice– what a feast of taste it is. The sauce’s special consistency also brings the best of any meal including roast chicken, shawarma, beef, lamb, and even goat meat. 

5. Guasacaca, Venezuela 

Ranked as one of the best sauces in the world, guasacaca dazzles foodies with its striking green appearance. While the texture is fairly not thick, the combination of avocado, parsley, and coriander truly offers something unlike the other.

For Venezuelans, whether the plate is garnished with beef, morcillas, sausages, chicken, or yuca, guasacaca should never leave the scene. 

6. Narsharab, Azerbaijan 

Pomegranate juice in a thick sauce consistency might be a foreign concept for some, but the people of Azerbaijan effortlessly turn it into a scrumptious dip. With the perfect measurements of sugar, basil, coriander, ground black pepper, and cinnamon, the sour and tangy flavor is achieved.   

7. Pesto Genovese, Italy 

For food lovers, pesto genovese’s appearance on the list comes off as no surprise, given the cultural influence it has across modern cuisine. In the past, people in the city of Genoa processed this sauce by pounding or crushing all the ingredients with a pestle. Today, chefs usually put basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and Pecorino cheese before crushing them together. 

8. Ragù alla Bolognese, Italy 

Ragù alla Bolognese is undoubtedly among the best sauces in the world, underscoring its global domination. Even outside its home country–Italy, this paste has made a lasting reputation for the classic dish of pasta.

Traditionally, this sauce consisted of beef, fresh tomatoes, red wine, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, but people have been very creative with their interpretation these days. 

9. Amatrician, Italy 

The third Italian sauce on the list, Amatrician, earned its reputation as a part of the “holy trinity of Roman pasta”, thanks to its flavorful plays of tomatoes and cured pork jowl.

Its invention traced back to the 17th century, with the sauce’s first published recipe featured in the 1790 cookbook L’Apicio Moderno by Francesco Leonardi. Since then, multiple movies have captured this icon including An American in Rome, Eat Pray Love, and Where Are You Going on Holiday?. 

10. Curry Paste, Thailand 

Locally known as gaeng, curry paste from Thailand closes the list of the ten best sauces in the world. Much like any other Thai cuisine, curry paste is synonymous with spice that is able to provoke appetite. For this specific dish though, people can easily differentiate both yellow (slightly spicy) and green (extra spicy) paste. 

From zesty herbs in Italy to bold spices in Ethiopia and creamy garlic blends in Lebanon, the best sauces in the world not only elevate dishes but also represent the essence of their cultures. Each paste tells a flavorful story of tradition, geography, and ingenuity. To dive even deeper into culinary scenes, head out to TasteAtlas’s best salad in the world here. 

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