How Arby's Took A Fancy Condiment And Made It A Legendary Fast Food Sauce
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Since the 1960s when Arby's first started, its founders aimed to provide customers with fast food that was slightly upscale from the reigning fare dished out at the time by chains like McDonald's and KFC. The iconic roast beef sandwiches were the mainstay of Arby's first-ever menu, but when the chain faced bankruptcy a few years after opening, its owners, the Raffel brothers, decided to expand their offerings.
In came the Beef 'N Cheddar sandwich, the famous Arby's sauce, and the condiment that best exemplifies the transformation of a high-end accompaniment into fast food — Arby's famous Horsey Sauce. Whether you occasionally enjoy its kick in one of their sandwiches or have a stash of Horsey Sauce sachets in your kitchen drawer, you probably know that it is the fast food chain's spin on horseradish sauce, a condiment more commonly seen rubbing shoulders with the likes of emulsified blue cheese atop steaks.
In order to make the distinctive nasal burn of horseradish appealing to a wider audience, Horsey Sauce was initially made by adding mayonnaise and sugar to horseradish. The resulting condiment was the perfect blend of recognizable flavors and novel zingy notes that caught people's attention.
Even now, first-timers are sometimes flummoxed by what exactly goes into Arby's Horsey Sauce, as multiple Reddit threads can attest. There aren't too many condiments that can boast of having made people fans of a food chain, but that is exactly what Arby's Horsey Sauce has done.
Arby's Horsey Sauce is special even though horseradish isn't that expensive
Horseradish isn't so expensive that it would be prohibitive to use in a fast food restaurant. In fact, it is often used to bulk up or substitute expensive genuine wasabi which is derived from one of the hardest plants to grow commercially. It is more the novelty of the flavor that makes Arby's twist on horseradish sauce so popular.
The one nowadays is made using horseradish powder, mustard flour, and vinegar as well as ingredients to give it the creaminess of mayonnaise and a hint of sweetness. The result is a sweet, tangy, creamy sauce with a moderate kick that's delicious not just on sandwiches but also as a dip for sides.
Of course, horseradish is also a classic beef pairing and therefore complements Arby's best-selling menu item, the Classic Roast Beef sandwich. Consequently, it gives customers a flavor combination they'd otherwise get in a much more expensive prime rib or steak meal.
Even after all these years, Arby's recognizes the upscale roots of its popular condiment. A limited edition Horsey Sauce with hints of chardonnay, named Chardonneigh's Arby's Horsey Sauce to commemorate the Derby, has notes reminiscent of white wine. While you can't buy this special edition condiment just anywhere, bottles of Arby's Horsey Sauce are readily available so you can stop stocking up on those little black and white sachets.