Mojo (, from Portuguese ''molho'' , meaning "sauce") is the name, or abbreviated name, of several types of sauces, varying in spiciness, consisting primarily of

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

, local pepper varieties (called ''pimienta'' in the Canary Islands),

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...

(called ''pimentón'' in Spain),

cumin Cumin ( or , or Article title
) (''Cuminum cyminum'') is a

coriander Coriander (;

, and other spices. Mojo originated in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, where the main varieties are green mojo (''mojo verde''), red mojo (''mojo rojo''), and spicy red mojo (''mojo picón''). Other countries have recipes similar to mojo, where acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lemon, orange, or lime juice may be used.

Canarian mojo

Typology

Green mojo, or mojo containing green spices, is commonly used for fish, especially the proper ''green mojo'' (made with green pepper) but also coriander mojo (''mojo de cilantro'') and parsley mojo (''mojo de perejil''). As coriander mojo and parsley mojo contain some water, they need to be kept in the refrigerator and have to be consumed within two days after preparation. Red mojo, made of small red peppers from La Palma (called ''pimienta picona'' or ''pimienta palmera'') and

, is usually eaten with meat. Red and green mojo can be used interchangeably to season some dishes, prominently ''

papas arrugadas Papas arrugadas ( ) is a traditional boiled potato dish eaten in the Canary Islands. It is usually served with a chili pepper garlic sauce, called mojo rojo, or as an accompaniment to meat dishes. The dish is made from small new potatoes ...

con salsa mojo'', or potatoes with ''mojo''. Mojo is also commonly served with fresh bread rolls at the beginning of a meal.

Preparation

To prepare red mojo, it is necessary to dry the peppers. Once dry, peppers can be kept for a long time before preparation. Before making mojo, peppers are soaked in water, so they lose their spiciness. Then, grains and fibers are removed, but for a few, that will make the mojo spicy. In the case of green mojo, spiciness will be regulated by the amount of garlic and can also be intensified by adding ground coriander seeds.

Canarian variations

Local variations of mojo include recipes with cheese, such as ''mojo con queso'' (''mojo with cheese'') from La Palma and El Hierro, as well as almogrote from La Gomera, where it is turned it into a paste that can be spread over bread. Every Canarian family has its own mojo recipe, which can vary greatly in flavour, spiciness, and texture. There is also almond mojo, an ideal accompaniment to various roasted dishes. Saffron mojo, whose main ingredient is Canarian saffron, tastes excellent with any fried cheese. Garlic mojo is ideal on

pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onions ...

. Herb mojo is made of mixed spices and is ideal for any salad.

International variations

Similar sauces, also known as ''mojo'', are also popular in Cuba and throughout the islands of the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, Hispanic or non-Hispanic, due to heavy Canarian emigration to the Caribbean, and have even influenced some

barbecue sauce Barbecue sauce (also abbreviated as BBQ sauce) is a sauce used as a marinade, basting (cooking), basting, condiment, or topping for meat cooked in the barbecue cooking style, including pork or beef ribs (food), ribs and chicken as food, chicken. I ...

s in the

Deep South The Deep South or the Lower South is a cultural and geographic subregion in the Southern United States. The term was first used to describe the states most dependent on plantations and slavery prior to the American Civil War. Following the war ...

region of the United States, particularly the states of Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. The flavor can be made of almost everything, from tomato or pepper to avocado. In Cuban cooking, ''mojo'' applies to any sauce made with garlic, olive oil, or pork lard, and a citrus juice, traditionally bitter orange juice. It is commonly used to marinate roast pork or as a dip for plantain chips and fried cassava (yuca frit

The sauce is occasionally called by its diminutive, 'mojito,' but should not be confused with the beverage Mojito, of the same name. To create the marinade for pork, the ingredients are bitter orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt. In Puerto Rico, ''mojo'' is a herb sauce of finely chopped cilantro or

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...

with salt, plenty of crushed garlic, and olive oil. Black pepper, butter, grated onion, vinegar, and any citrus fruit can also be added. It is commonly used on the island as a marinade for chicken roast and a dip for '' tostones'', fried cassava, and sometimes mashed with '' mofongo''. Puerto Rican

Chef Jose Enrique A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kit ...

mojo mixed with papaya and avocado topped on fish has become a part of Puerto Rican gastronomy. There is also a version popular in the town of Salinas, called ''mojo isleño'', which is served with

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...

, particularly fish. In the Dominican Republic, it is called wasakaka and is used as a sauce for roasted chicken and boiled cassava. Wasakaka is made of boiling plenty of water with parsley, garlic, olive oil, and sour orange or lime juice.

References