Ají (sauce) Ají (sauce) Ají is a spicy sauce that often contains tomatoes, cilantro (coriander), ají pepper, onions, and water. Recipes vary dramatically from person to person and from region to region, depending on preference. Ají has been prepared in Andean countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru since at least the time of the Incas, who called it "uchu". In Colombia and Ecuador, for example, food is traditionally mild, so ají can be added to almost any dish to add some flavour and spice. It is usually added to other foods such as chugchucaras, soup, chorizo, or empanadas. In Chile there
Vodka sauce Vodka sauce Vodka sauce is an American cuisine sauce made from a smooth tomato sauce, vodka, typical Italian herbs and heavy cream, which gives the sauce its distinctive orange coloration. It gained popularity in the 1970s, when a variation won a national recipe contest in Italy, although it may well have been a sauce before its popularization in the 1970s. It is a key ingredient in penne alla vodka. The vodka's function is, ostensibly, to release flavors in the tomato that are normally inaccessible; using alcoholic beverages for this purpose is common in Italian cooking, although usually accomplished with wine.