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This article is about the condiment. For the Go-go band, seeMambo Sauce (band).
Mumbo sauce
A bottle of Mumbo sauce
Alternative namesMambo sauce
Place of originUSA
Region or stateWashington, D.C.

Mumbo sauceormambo sauceis acondimentdeveloped and popularized attake-outrestaurantsinWashington, D.C..The red-orange sauce is similar tobarbecue sauce,but somewhat sweeter, and also somewhat spicier or more sour. (There is some variation in flavor and consistency.) It is put onto friedchickenwings,french fries,fried jumbo shrimp, andfried rice.The origin and ingredients of Mumbo sauce are subject to great dispute.[1][2]It is often compared toChicagomild sauce,found attake-outrestaurantsin that city’s predominantlyBlack neighborhoods.[3]

History[edit]

The trademark Mumbo name was first used by Argia B. Collins Sr., for use in connection with a barbecue sauce he developed for his Chicago restaurant.[4]Since at least as early as 1950, Mr. Collins and his business used this trademark, and his successor-in-interest, Select Brands, LLC, registered the trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 25, 1999, Registration No. 2,247,855.[5]The Mumbo trademark has been used for sauces, and appears on labels as part of the phrase Mumbo® Sauce.[6]

Some people have used the term "Mumbo Sauce" in articles, internet blogs and advertisements for their sauce products, in connection with a sauce said to have originated in Washington, DC Chinese restaurants used on chicken wings, French fries, and fried rice. Select Brands has challenged such uses as incorrect and as potential infringements of its Mumbo trademark.[7]

However, according to Capital City Mumbo Sauce, the sauce originated in a restaurant called "Wings-n-Things" in the late 1960s.[8]Since Argia's Mumbo Sauce can be traced back to the 1950s (before it showed up at Wings-N-Things) it's speculated that the DC version is a transplanted version of the original Chicago sauce.[9]Recently, after two years of court battles, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board found that a D.C.-based company could not take the name from its Chicago founder.[10]

In 2018, DC MayorMuriel Bowserdrew national attention when she called Mumbo Sauce "annoying" in a Facebook post. She also questioned whether it was "quintessential" DC. Her comments sparked controversy, while her spokesperson said that her remarks were meant to liven Thanksgiving discussions.[11]

On October 9, 2023, popular fast-food chainMcDonald'sreleased their own version of the sauce as a limited time offering in their US locations. Alongside the dipping sauce's release, they hosted a media campaign pairing with multiple content creators to promote the product, as well as developing a short YouTube documentary covering the sauce's history.[12]

Cultural references[edit]

  • The DC go-go groupMambo Saucederived their name from the condiment.
  • The DC hip-hop artistChristylez Baconperforms a song about Mambo sauce.[13]
  • Black Flag Brewing Co., a brewery in Columbia, MD has a beer named Mambo Sauce after the sauce.[14]
  • Writer Camille Acker features a story called "Mambo Sauce" in her debut short story collection "Training School for Negro Girls"[15]
  • The event series based out of DC entitled Chicken & Mumbo Sauce[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^"This Secret Sauce From D.C. Belongs on Everything".Epicurious.Retrieved2018-02-14.
  2. ^Stevens, Ashlie D. (January 17, 2021)."The Story of Mambo (or Mumbo) Sauce, the Condiment That Likely Fueled the Civil Rights Movement".Salon.RetrievedJanuary 18,2021.
  3. ^Daley, Bill (June 24, 2017)."What's the Story? Answering a Reader's Questions About Mild Sauce, the Condiment You'll Find Only in Chicago".Chicago Tribune.RetrievedJanuary 18,2021.
  4. ^Mack, Tracy."Adding sizzle to the grill".Chicago Tribune.
  5. ^"MUMBO Trademark of SELECT BRANDS LLC - Registration Number 2247855 - Serial Number 75524897:: Justia Trademarks".trademarks.justia.RetrievedJan 9,2020.
  6. ^"Try Mumbo Sauce at your next barbecue".Mumbo BBQ Sauce.RetrievedJan 9,2020.
  7. ^"DC Legend: Chicken Wings & Mumbo Sauce".RetrievedJan 9,2020.
  8. ^"History | Capital City Mumbo Sauce".Mar 15, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon March 15, 2011.RetrievedJan 9,2020.
  9. ^"How To Make DC Mumbo Sauce (Or Is It Really Chicago Mumbo Sauce?)".Huffington Post.March 26, 2012.
  10. ^"Mumbo sauce, a popular condiment in the District of Columbia, was founded in Chicago".tribunedigital-chicagotribune.Retrieved2018-07-25.
  11. ^Eli Watkins (21 November 2018)."DC mayor stirs up controversy with saucy mumbo criticism".CNN.Retrieved21 November2018.
  12. ^"Get 'Em While They're Hot: Two New Sauces Join the McDonald's® USA Lineup".McDonald's USA.28 September 2023.
  13. ^"Christylez Bacon - Mambo Sauce".Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-15.RetrievedJan 9,2020– via youtube.
  14. ^"Black Flag Brewing Co".blackflagbrewingco.RetrievedJan 9,2020.
  15. ^Acker, Camille (2018).Training School for Negro Girls,p. 129-158. Feminist Press, New York.ISBN978-1-936932-37-5.
  16. ^"Chicken & Mumbo Sauce".Chicken & Mumbo Sauce.RetrievedJan 9,2020.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mumbo_sauce&oldid=1224056577"