Artisan sauces: ketchup, mustard, and everything in between

Sauces are liquid or creamy condiments that you serve with food or use for seasoning in the kitchen. At Leni & Hans, the range extends from tomato ketchup, barbecue sauce, and mustard to soy sauce and classic gravy. Our producers are based in Hesse, Berlin, Swabia, the Moselle region, Leipzig, the Oberberg district, the Southern Palatinate, and Austria.

Four sauce families

Reduced sauces like ketchup, barbecue, curry, and fruit sauces are made from tomato paste or fruit purée, sugar, vinegar, and spices. The longer they simmer, the thicker they become—some producers therefore avoid using thickening agents altogether.

Cold emulsions like burger, Caesar, or Café de Paris sauce are based on rapeseed oil and egg yolk, similar to mayonnaise. They are served cold because heat would break the emulsion.

Mustard is a world of its own: ground mustard seeds with vinegar, water, and salt; depending on the seed, it ranges from mild to hot, and as fruit mustard, it may also contain pear, fig, or raspberry.

Fermented seasoning sauces are aged for months. For soy sauce, microorganisms work in soy and wheat; for fish sauce, in fish and salt; and for the seasonings from Genusskoarl, in lupine and oats. This process creates the savory flavor that Japanese cuisine calls umami. Gravy does not belong to any of these groups: it is made by long reduction of bones and roasted vegetables.

How to recognize a good sauce

The ingredient list begins with the most abundant ingredient. If tomato paste or fruit is listed first and the percentage is specified, you know what the sauce is based on—at Ketchup zum heiligen Stein, it is 43% double-concentrated tomato paste; in the plum sauce from Sossen Eckart, it is 66% plums. The heat level is also usually indicated: Eckart works with a chili scale, Ketchup zum heiligen Stein with levels labeled mild, savory, and hot. For emulsion sauces and mustard, look out for allergens like egg, mustard, and celery.

Our sauce producers

Our top seller is the savory ketchup from Ketchup zum heiligen Stein from Lich near Giessen, medium-hot and thick enough to hold on a spoon; their sister varieties, mild and hot ketchup with cayenne pepper, are also very popular. The gravy from Benz Feinkostmanufaktur is reduced for at least 24 hours in their butcher shop in Köngen and is enough for about four servings.

Wajos from the Moselle region cooks grill sauces like the barbecue sauce with hickory smoked salt and whips up cold sauces for burgers and salads. Sossen Eckart cooks in Berlin, including the vegan Berlin curry sauce made from tomato and orange juice. Things get fruity at Gruber's Fruchtzauberei from Styria, for example with the sweet & sour grill sauce with peach.

Mustard comes from two directions: Rosenberg Delikatessen from Leipzig has organic mustard made at Georgsenf in Halle, such as the organic fruity mustard with apple and quince; Königskind from Wiehl makes fruit mustards like the pear mustard with 63% pears, as well as barbecue sauces with whiskey or local beer. Genusskoarl from the Weinviertel region brews organic soy sauce in the shoyu style using Austrian soy, while Lang Weinessig from the Southern Palatinate contributes ready-made salad dressings.

Sauces on the family table

On burger night, three jars of ketchup are lined up, along with burger sauce and a smoky barbecue sauce—so everyone can find their preferred level of heat. For currywurst, heat the curry sauce briefly, and bake the fries in the oven. For Sunday evening snacks, hot mustard goes with bratwurst and fig mustard with mountain cheese. In a wok, one or two tablespoons of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce are enough for vegetables and chicken; a pho gets its base note from a splash of fish sauce. And the gravy saves Sunday dinner if the roast doesn't yield much juice: just add, heat, and serve with spätzle and dumplings.

Buying and storage

• For tasting: Ketchup sets with small jars and seasonings in 100-ml bottles are a great starting point.
• For the pantry: Ketchup in a 400-g jar or as a set of three, soy sauce and WienerWürze in 250 ml.
• Refrigerate after opening: Emulsion sauces with egg and many fruit sauces should be kept in the fridge once opened; mustard as well, so it retains its heat.
• Fermented seasonings: Soy sauce and fish sauce are salty and therefore keep for a long time; store them in a dark place and keep them sealed.
• With alcohol: The barbecue sauces from Königskind contain whiskey or local beer, the peach sauce from Wajos 6% whiskey—for children, stick to the mild ketchup.

Ketchup, mustard, or seasoning sauce

This category is divided into three shelves. Under Ketchup & Grill Sauces, you will find tomato ketchup, barbecue, curry, and fruit sauces for the grill and fries. Mustard features organic mustard in mild, fruity, and hot varieties, as well as fruit mustard with pear, fig, and raspberry. In Seasoning Sauces, you will find soy sauce, fish sauce, WienerWürze, cold egg-yolk-based sauces, salad dressings, and gravy. Dry seasoning can be found next door under Salt & Spices, and everything together under Seasoning & Refining.

Ordering sauces online

Whether it's ketchup for the grilling season, mustard for a snack, or soy sauce for the wok: you can order sauces online from Leni & Hans, and your package will arrive within 1–3 days.