Why Mumbo Sauce Is the Key to D.C.'s Subculture | Food Grails 

Two black men introduce an Asian woman to Mambo sauce at a Chinese carry out LOVE IT

"Gogo is the heartbeat of the city and mumbo sauce is the blood that keeps it flowing" some of the realest shit I've ever heard that man is a true DMV spokesperson

I wish this dc was popularized more than the tourist area

1:42 home girl behind them turned her head laughing at them when they said they’d never heard of it lmaooo

''People who are new to the city probably don't know what Mumbo sauce is'' shows white guys ''I dont know what mumbo sauce is'' LMFAO

7 wings with fried rice for 9 bucks? Not bad at all

Listen, I'm from SW DC and I really enjoyed this video. She went to the hood (gentrified, but hood). Ordered 4 wings mumbo sauce on everything. Once you've tasted that, you'll never be the same. Great job.

1:45 I swear they hired those guys to look white af

I mumbo, YOU mumbo, HE SHE WE mumbo

I love how DC people call Chinese stores “Carry outs” we just call them Chinese stores lol

This is the definition of America. One city, two cultures, both rarely if ever dip into the other, both are in their own bubble

I love how every place has their own special food, if you ever roll through Atlanta, get lemon pepper wings, if you ride thru philly get a cheese steak, New Orleans, get a po boy etc.

As a DMV native, and especially while I'm driving for Lyft, I'm always weaving between "Washington" and "DC", and no those aren't mutually exclusive geographically. You can see how "Washingtonians" who don't dare venture past 5th St. NE/SE clearly detest living in the District and consider it "boring" 'cause all they be doin' is dart from their K St./Cap. Hill internships to their yoga lessons to snooty/hipster bars in Dupont or Adams Morgan and maybe to the 9:30 from time to time. Meanwhile, "DC folks" been keepin' it real, and it don't matter if you Chocolate City or Salvadorian or even a white dude who grew up in Georgetown, we all real proud of DC/DMV despite all the negative press we get. All of our icons, from mumbo sauce to go-go (Chuck Brown, anyone?) to Howard U and even our distinctive dialect ("Dis jont turrable, moe!") are things that nobody pays any attention to because they get overshadowed by Politics in Our Nation's Capital, which as we know are Much More Important and Much More Exciting. Contrary to the claims of "Washingtonians" (who should really GTFO back to they home and let us have ours), we KNOW that DC ain't NEVER boring (which admittedly is not always a positive thing). Wanna come to the District for your career? Get over yo' bama self, learn the history and the culture of the people who live around you, and once you learn to live AMONG us rather than ABOVE us, then maybe you'd earn our respect.

1/2 cup tomato paste 1 cup distilled white vinegar 1 cup pineapple juice 1 cup sugar 4 teaspoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon powdered ginger 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or more if you wish

I was born and raised in SE DC. Been loving mambo sauce since 85' from Wah Luck Carryout Alabama Ave SE.

3:26 I did not expect her to talk like that😂😂

I'm from Maryland and mumbo sauce is incredible. It's definitely a staple within the DMV.

Man, I always watch first we feast with an empty stomach ending up grumpy, cuz all they talk about is chicken wings, fried rice and fries. Damn.

BIG UP TO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY OWNED MAMBO SAUCE BRAND ‘CAPITAL CITY MAMBO SAUCE’! PHENOMENAL!

I’m from SE. Mambo sauce started in Chicago in 1950s and made it way to D.C it was in soul food and carry out Chinese places then overtime it spread all over in D.C and people were making up there own recipes. I’m seeing it now in the local Grocery store, Target, etc.

I’m a an East Oakland native, but stayed in the 804, for over 7 years, miss that mumbo sauce.

This was great. Explaining mumbo sauce in the wider context of the city and it's changing identity was pretty interesting. I know there's benefits to gentrification as the comments have stated but I think as cities get more gentrified you lose all the identity of the city and it's community. Eventually you end up with cities which all look the same, sound the same and are all pretty much identical with no unique features.

The real D.C. is Mumbo Sauce, Go-Go, and a pair of New Balances. With their own style, slang, and name brand clothes!!! And if you an outta towner you might get called a bamma lol #DMV#I❤️DC

yo this capital city mambo sauce just made my life, i used to live in baltimore and go to dc every weekend just for it but since i moved i been craving that shit UGH THANK YOU FOOD GRAILS

Dude said "Chinese people are smart, they know what we like, and we buy it"...smdh

CHEERS TO THE BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS.... 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🍷🖤

It's available at my local Walmart in Oklahoma. I love it. I'm not black. I'm Native, but I love the stuff. So good on wings. The first time I tried it I had to make my own which was hard and time consuming. I'm glad you can just buy it now.

These wings prices in DC are crazy low. Here in NYC 4 wings with fried rice is like $ 7-8.

Yall actin like the dude wanted his block to be a warzone. He just wanted people to be friendly again. That's what he said.

I grew up in DC and have lived here most of my life. I got married at the Jefferson Memorial. I went to Peabody and Watkins Elementary Schools. This video *does* get it mostly right, even though they take bizarre and totally unnecessary shots at the white population here. Mumbo/mambo sauce is mostly a Chinese carryout phenomenon (some places explicitly advertise it). There also is a story to be told about the loss or erosion of black culture that defined the city for decades, e.g. the slow decline of go go music.

Wow the history on mumbo sauce is epic I love it. I love how DC is super passionate about it. I’m def going to try it out

I grew up in Arlington. I can attest, there is a real difference between “Washington” and “DC” 😂

the food is the only reason I didn't click off this video to be honest

I actually found out about Mumbo sauce while working as a delivery driver in college at a Chinese restaurant in Florida. The owners were nice folk who gave me free food to take home from time to time, guess they must have moved to Florida from D.C. Mumbo wings with fried rice is freaking delicious and totally addictive.

okay D.C. you got it💜... yo miss info” always got that 411’hun. much love yo 🙏🏾✌🏾🐜

First saw this vid 2 years ago and was intrigued. Just had my first taste of it from Jerry's Carry Out earlier today, then bought a bottle of "spicy mambo" on the way out of town. I love it all.

All of these food grail episodes are amazing.

After watching a few of these videos it sort of seems like the black communities in the US really want their creations to stay theirs, not in a bad way or or anything, but it's ironic because I often hear that the same black communities aren't being recognized for their contributions. I personally think cultural contributions are massively important (and yes, I completely understand wanting to be recognized for more than just that).

Watched this vid a couple months ago and i HAD to try this sauce. Surprisingly, it's now sold on Amazon... delicious!

Thank God for Capital City!! We've been using their Mumbo sauce for a couple of years now in PA. People always comment on it when we use it on wings & BBQ.

The blood mumbo sauce the right one. The BBQ kind of one is Aiight I guess. The pink one is watered down and trash.

A lot of people here are getting angry saying "Complex is pushing a liberal agenda," Complex aren't the ones telling the story, the people they interview how either grew up with the product, are a big part of the product or the product is a big part of them are talking, saying how they feel about their food. People saying it's a race thing or a liberal thing, its not. You see it happen in every culture, Italians and their pizzas and pastas are always angry on buzzfeed videos and at pizza chain stores. Talk to anyone from the south about barbecue and they'll rip your head off if you say you cook it in an oven. Where every you go there are people who identify with their food. Do I agree with it? not really, but to say that Complex has a racial agenda is stupid. Good food comes from poverty because you have to be creative with what you have, and when that's the only thing you have how else are you going to react.

It's so popular that their is a short story called mambo sauce, which is why I'm here

I’ve eaten CC mumbo almost everyday since I moved here years ago and I’ve even been making a pretty close version for a few years. When I make it I usually make about a half gallon. My favorite mumbo meal is fried chicken with biscuits, I drown everything in it and go to town.

Lol at people from outside the DMV commenting on inside the DMV

First We Feast, you are putting out truly excellent content. What a joy to watch.

Grew up in Laurel, moved to Brooklyn when I was 10. Live in Philly now. I feel like I’m just destined to live in cities.

LOVE Capitol City Mumbo sauce! Local store out in the burbs in Maryland started stocking it after I bugged them. Got hooked after trying the real stuff!

Love your videos, just discovered them. So many subcultures. Fascinating. :)

Grew up in DC. I'm sorry, but I invite the gentrification. I prefer the current vibe than the murder capital fun of the early 90's.

This sauce is def popping. When I moved out here from the west coast. I heard about it and tried it and got hooked. Only thing I wish was that this sauce came from black owned restaurants. What that guy said '' Chinese ppl are smart they know what we like and we buy it '' something like this was invented by black folks and the dollar needs to be kept in the community.

That’s like Mild sauce a Chicago staple... goes on everything from fries to wings to pizza puffs🙌🙌

So 14 minutes passed and I still don't know what it is exactly... thanks what an amazingly uneducational experience.

I thoroughly enjoy these videos. I love learning about the food culture of these communities in other cities outside LA where I'm from. I also enjoy learning how food culture reflects the actual struggles/changes within a region. Culture will evolve but what's most important is keeping a sense of community. Talking to your neighbors, saying wassup the person next to you in line at the store. learn about one another. And if you got triggered from seeing another video on a black community I'm sorry but this is just people lives and their food this channel is trying to bring a light to. And the reason why we feel a way about white people and our food is because we feel like they don't care about us. They don't come to our neighborhoods, eat our food and talk to us. Let food be what connects us. Go to a neighborhood you normally don't go to. go eat. ask whoever is sitting down what their favorite dish is. when you finish tell the server/clerk it was delicious and thank you. make community, male friends. I promise you after that youll be thinking differently about your RU-vid comments.

6:40 That’s how it’s starting to be in all cities. Idk any of the people on my block past my next door neighbors.

Yes my home is changing so much.....i loved when i could order Mumbo sauce when i was in Colorado

you know if a food is loved by the black community anywhere its gonna be good

I am thankful for this series. The chance it brings to see how other people in other parts of the country think, feel, and act is too good to pass up. Using food as a segway to talk about what people think and feel is likewise a stellar idea, and I hope you guys keep it up.

You can now get Capital City Mumbo sauce in stores like Walmart in the condiments section. I highly recommend it.

I lived in Landover MD in Prince George County and love mumbo sauce.

When i saw this on Facebook i was so happy. But they didn’t have the full interview. I am from South East DC. Cappers. I went to Simon Elementary. Hart Middle School And Ballou SHS. (The Old Ballou) (Big Bad Ballou) and growing up with Mumbo sauce was great. When i was in high school. I had Hong Kong on the Ave. and every day after school it will be packed!! And leaving after band practice it was packed. You will have to call ur order in just to get it before everyone else get there. I now live in Raleigh NC. And i really miss Mumbo sauce. Cuz when i have it. I feel safe and i get that home feel. I love Mumbo Sauce.

Is that guy legitimately complaining that his neighborhood is no longer a hotbed for drugs?

5:17 AND YOU ENDED UP MARRYING JUST THAT!!!! 😂 😂 🤣

While watching was anyone else feeling hungry & mesmerized by wale’s voice at the same time?

"Black Branding" is totally real and I didn't know it until he said it. Then it clicked. There are million dollar apartments in Shaw right above a Giant supermarket that has a giant piece of art depicting black artists on the side of it. I feel like I'm going to see it everywhere now...

Every episode of Food Grails makes me want that food in my hood. Now wings and mumbo sauce...gotta get it.

I remember playing in the street and carry out runs back in the late 80's it's amazing how time goes by. DC is changing because rent went up and pay stood still for years we couldn't keep up

Great video! I will have to make a trip to DC and try some chicken and Mumbo Sauce!

As someone from DC and growing up eating 4pc chicken wings w/fries, mumbo sauce on everything from Danny's lol..its so fuckin dope to see my city like this! #killMoe😂😂😂

Ok, as a DMV native I think I can speak on this. It's not "just a sauce" lol. And the people that are wondering why the video went into detail about the changing culture of D.C. Is because those two topics (mumbo sauce & culture) go hand in hand. You literally cannot have one without the other. There is a reason why all the white people were clueless and had no idea what mumbo sauce even was! That is because they lack the CULTURE that D.C. Brings which is why half the video was spent talking about how much the culture is changing. Wouldn't you be upset if you spent generations and generations of time and energy to create and manifest this product and in a few years, people moved into the city and didn't even know what that product was? Or worse didn't even care to find out? It's not just a sauce. And if you grew up here you would know that. It's the principle, the culture. It's insulting to natives and that's why they're upset. It's like you coming into someone's house and not even saying hey just walking in and kicking your feet up and opening their fridge lol

Im from Chicago!! We do "Mild Sauce" Wale dissed our wings!!😂😂 I see Y now

I live in Denver and ordered this online and now it’s inside my fridge. Super dank sauce

mumbo sauce is the goat come to dc get wings and fries with mumbo sauce that shit a1

I had my first mumbo sauce and wings at a Chinese restaurant on Rhode Island Avenue just across the MD/DC border. They also had a great steak and cheese sub. Later found out that they were busted for buying DC lunch supplies from crooked school workers.

Going to Washington in April this is definitely gonna be on my must try list

Man people are really over analyzing a sauce out here

Thank you for giving a solid representation of the DC culture. #spicymumbosauceislife

Sweet nd sour sauce with tamarind mustard hotsauce vinegar

Very well produced. I hadn't heard of Mumbo sauce until I watched a jljupiter video and searched it out. Subscribed.

D.C. is one of my favorite cities, maybe my favorite city.

who here see a leprechaun say yeah. YEAHHH!!

Chicago Mild Sauce

Been buying it for a year and had no idea it was a thing!! It’s ffreakim delicious

I'm here because of the mambo sauce McDonald's has right now. This was fascinating to learn about!

ketchup,honey,duck sauce,hot sauce , & sweet and sour 👍🏾

a great way to tell if someone has actually had mumbo sauce is when they tell you that it’s super spicy.

Am coming to D.C to try mambo sauce, love me some street food 😋

Use to spend summers in Fairfax village all the way from N.Y. and feel in luv with Mumbo sauce.

This was one of my favorite pieces that fwf has done. I get the weird inner turmoil that one goes through when an individual or group of people take something seacret to you and turn it into something that it's not or exploit it. In a way it takes away from whatever may be seacret to you and becomes less yours and less special. Anyways my point is this was rad and keep it up! thx

"that jawns turrible." damn. for a second i thought they were in philly.

I live in Syracuse NY I've heard of mumbo sauce and would definitely love to try it, they sell capital city in one of our popular grocery stores but its $7.99 a bottle that's a little steep lol

Ole Girl In Tha Back Got Me Dying 😂 1:42

They got the two whitest guys and the craziest looking white guy to be interviewed 😂

It’s just sweet and sour sauce at the Chinese spots anywhere else you go

I’m currently eating some carry-out with some Mambo Sauce!! 🔥🔥 ITS GOOD

I am from the STL and order my sauce on Amazon love it!!

man this what I been waiting on my city to get recognition....upt dc

Jerry Yum's Carry-out has some great mumbo sauce. I get 5 wing's with pork fried rice and mumbo sauce over everything so bomb and a half and half lemonade ice tea mix🙌

Love, love your channel. New subscriber here.l

Thank you for this video. I live in a small town about hour and a half away from DC. I was wondering why the new Chinese Take out place was serving Chicken wings and this weird sauce. Now I know its mumbo sauce lol.