The Reason Fans Are Arguing About Aldi's Giardiniera Sauce
If you are from Chicago, there's a good chance you might already know what giardiniera is. But for the uninitiated, it's a popular, spicy Italian-American topping that is made from vegetables, typically "cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, celery, and chile peppers," that are pickled in vinegar and marinated in olive oil, according to Bon Appétit. While it might be most common in the Chicago area, where it is typically served as a condiment for the city's staple Italian Beef sandwiches, giardiniera can now also be found at Aldis throughout the States, in the form of their Specially Selected Giardiniera pasta sauce.
While the sauce has been a hit with many Aldi fans, one shopper recently took to Reddit to share their review. They didn't necessarily dislike the sauce, they felt it needed to be accompanied with a warning label, however. "PSA: This. Is. HOT." they captioned a picture of the jar. Many fellow Aldi shoppers agreed this sauce packed quite the kick. "I bought two jars, and I'm afraid to eat the second one because the first was so spicy," one person replied. "I liked the flavor when I opened it making dinner, but it was hot," another user agreed.
Not everyone found Aldi's giardiniera sauce to be that spicy
However, not everyone felt Aldi's sauce was spicy enough to warrant a public warning. In fact, quite to the contrary, some shoppers didn't feel this sauce packed much heat at all. "I would say quite the opposite. It's very far in mild territory," replied one user on the Reddit thread. "Def. Not. Hot. for those of us who eat ghost peppers and love the heat," agreed another. A few Redditors from Chicago, who are familiar with giardiniera, were also not too impressed with the sauce's spiciness level. "Yep, from Chicagoland here. I thought it was mild haha," replied one person.
There were quite a few differing opinions in the comments, and even the original poster admitted that heat can best be seen in the eye of the beholder, saying that this pasta sauce is "probably hit or miss for spice lovers." It certainly seems that, when it comes to spice, personal preference definitely plays a big role. However, even those who did find the sauce too spicy for their liking were able to find a way to salvage it and enjoy the flavor, without totally burning their mouths. One helpful commenter suggested cutting the giardiniera sauce with another, less spicy marinara, while another user admitted they "ended up mixing it with another pasta sauce just to have spaghetti."