Zigeuner Sauce (German Gypsy Sauce)

Zigeuner Sauce, aka Gypsy sauce, is the famous red pepper sauce that transforms a Schnitzel into the famous Zigeuner Schnitzel. Packed with flavour, a little spicy and refreshing, this dish is also a great condiment for BBQs or simply used as a pasta sauce.

By popular demand, this reader-favorite recipe made it into my debut cookbook, German Kitchen-Classic Dishes!

What is Zigeuner Sauce?

Zigeuner Sauce is a sauce based on tomatoes and peppers, with vinegar or white wine. A spicy, chunky red pepper sauce that is often served with schnitzel, roast beef or bratwurst.

Zigeuner Sauce is no longer the politically correct term to refer to this sauce, but Hungarian Style pepper sauce (see below).

This sauce has a distinct peppery and sweet and sour flavour. The texture is supposed to be chunky, not fine.

History

The sauce presumably originates from Hungary but was made famous at the German and Austrian royal households. Where the Zigeuner sauce got its name from is unclear. Some think it has to do with the Sinti and Roma who were living in Hungary at the time, others assume that name of the sauce was invented as a successful marketing ploy by the cooks of the royal Austrian family, to make the sauce more exciting. [source: praxistipps.chips.de]

The dish was first mentioned in a cookbook in 1903.

Controvsery

Many, in Germany, feel that the name "Zigeunersauce" is discriminating against ethnic Sinti and Roma in Germany. In 2013, the Forum für Sinti and Roma in Hannover demanded that producers of the sauce change the name. The dish does not originate from the Sini and Roma cuisines but is more associated with Hungarian Food. [source. DW.com]

At first, the food manufacturers defended the name, saying that this dish has a 100-year tradition. However, in 2020 the German food manufacturer Knorr changed the name of their sauce to "Paprikasauce Ungarischer Art". Which means "pepper sauce Hungarian style". Another name used is "Paprika Sauce".

This article references the dish as "Zigeuner sauce" because this is what it is known as worldwide, and does not mean offence to any Roma or Sinti.

How to make Zigeuner Sauce

Ingredients

• bell peppers about 3 - red, yellow or green
• onions
• garlic
• 1 can chopped tomatoes 400 g
• gherkins / pickles - not the sweet variety
• vegetable stock (affiliate link) /broth
• tomato ketchup
• vinegar from the gherkin jar

Spices

• 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp sugar optional - check flavour as some tomato ketchups are sweeter than other so you might not need it.
• 1 tbsp olive oil

To garnish

• a handful finely chopped parsley

Zigeuner Sauce Recipe Steps

1. Slice the peppers in rough slices. (you do not want them to be too fine, as the peppers should maintain their texture.) Slice the onion, and chop the gherkins in 0.5 cm chunks. Finely cube the garlic.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and then fry the peppers and onions until the onions are translucent.

3. Now add in the garlic, gherkins, and tomato paste and fry briefly.
4. Pour in the can of tomatoes, vegetable stock (affiliate link)/broth and ketchup. Add the spices and add the vinegar to taste (do it slowly as the right amount depends on your personal taste). If necessary add more sugar, to balance out the flavours.
5. Cook on a medium to low heat for about 5 minutes. The peppers should be cooked but still maintain some crunch and their texture.
6. Serve with schnitzel or steak or simply with some pasta.

Recipe Variations

• add mushrooms, or courgette /zucchini to your sauce
• replace the canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes
• to give the sauce a smoother note, you can add cream or milk to the sauce.
• add white wine to the sauce (about 200 ml)
• to thicken the sauce you can also add some cornstarch or flour at the end. Bring to a boil until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
• To increase the peppery taste you can add 3 tablespoons pepper paste to the sauce.

All about Zigeunerschnitzel

This sauce is best known as the Zigeunerschnitzel sauce. This dish translates as Gypsy Schnitzel in English and it is a simple schnitzel paired with this red pepper sauce. Pick the schnitzel recipe you desire, and then serve it with this pepper sauce.

• Veal Schnitzel (Wiener Schnitzel)
• Pork Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)
• Turkey Schnitzel (Putenschnitzel)

How to serve

Although the sauce is best known to be paired with Schnitzel it is very versatile.

In Germany, this sauce is a popular BBQ sauce and served with steaks. It also tastes really good with some fried chicken or turkey breast.

Vegetarians like to simply eat it with pasta.

Storage Instructions

The sauce can stay good in the fridge for up to five days. Store in an airtight container.

If you want to keep the sauce for longer, you can also keep it in a jar. Pour the hot sauce into a sterilised glass jar.

More German Sauce Recipes

• Jäger Sauce (German Hunter Sauce)
• Rahmsauce
• Currywurst Sauce
• Quark Dip

Recipe