Every casual dining restaurant and fast-food stand in Germany offers a version of currywurst, a messy, gooey, delicious creation of hot, serious sausage slathered in a curry-intensive ketchup. The roots of this unlikely marriage of India and Germany originated somewhere just after the second war. 

The good news is that the tireless entrepreneurs of Scrumptious Fish and Chips are now featuring something new at their pop-up events at the Santa Cruz Farmers’ Markets and local breweries. Yes, it’s a California-ish spin on the currywurst ketchup they’re calling Zau. No, it’s not a new Scrumptious menu item. 

“We have always offered our curry ketchup, which has been so popular that we have begun to sell it in bottles,” explained Scrumptious co-founder Tim Korith. “The best way to describe Zau —a traditional German sauce that I have modified—is sweet and tangy. It really goes well with everything including fries, sausages, grilled meats, even breakfast eggs.”

The new bottled ketchup is available at the Scrumptious Fish and Chips food truck, at Sunnyside produce in Soquel, The Point Market, and, soon, online at zausauce.com. Could it join the must-have lineup of sauces on your own table next to Cholula and Sriracha? Try some and find out. 

“Our core menu still includes our signature Alaska cod, jumbo battered shrimp and British banger sausages from el Salchichero butchers,” Korith says. “We also still offer British sides such as mushy peas and pickled onions, plus loaded avocado chips and loaded chicken tikka masala chips.”