History of Ntsama Chilli Oil and Sauces. . continued

In 2005 Mama Ntsama died without having taught me how to make the Chilli oil/ sauce. In 2006, I ran out of the last lot she had sent to me before she died. I became desperate for my Chilli oil. You will understand why once you too have tasted it; if you are a real Chilli lover.

I tried to imagine how it was made, and what the process could possibly be, but could not reproduce Mama Ntsama’s Chilli oil. Her daughter had no idea how it was made as she was never interested in it.

Then one night in November 2007 I had a dream. In the dream, I went down to my kitchen and watched this dear lady making the Chilli oil. I clearly saw the ingredients which were just Scotch Bonnet peppers and vegetable oil. I watched her from start to finish. The secret of Ntsama Chilli Oil is not in the ingredients, it is in the preparation. I would never have guessed how it was made. What I marveled at in the dream was the care she took over the preparation and the pleasure she seemed to derive from making it. I cannot explain what I felt just watching. I did not see her face all through the dream. She never spoke a word, but we somehow communicated without words. It took for ever patiently waiting, and caring, and monitoring. When it was over, I woke up in the morning from that dream. I wrote down what I had observed, drove to Dalston market in London, bought the best quality Scotch Bonnet Chillies, came home and made my first ever what is now known as Ntsama Chilli oil. When we tasted it, we all erupted in laughter, and we were dancing round our kitchen. I called my friend Mama‘s daughter, and during a long chat and we both agreed that my dream was significant and, as African culture demands, she blessed me. I chose to give the product its name in loving memory of Mama Ntsama. Ntsama means “To break out”. That is what the product is doing. It is breaking out.