Shito Revealed

I eat "shito" (pronounced she-toe) with every Ghanaian meal. It is a spicy sauce that nicely accompanies all of my local favorites - basically all the rice dishes! I never actually knew what it was made with (I just assumed peppers and spices, etc.), well... that was not correct!

I recently saw a bottle of homemade shito with the ingredients listed on the label. It read: shrimp, herring, pepper, salt, oil, onion and special spices! Now I enjoy to read about food (I might even look forward to Wednesdays just so I can read the Dining Section of the NYTimes), and I am a self-proclaimed 'foodie dork,' but obviously I do not have a very well developed palette, because I had no idea there was fish in my sauce - and I eat it everyday! 

I happen to enjoy shrimp and I have no problem with herring, but I was still shocked that a 'fish' had crept into my food without my knowledge. In the U.S. we are so hyper aware of dietary restrictions and allergies that fish is usually announced prior to consumption. Whereas in Ghana I had eaten this sauce for 3 months before I learned of its ingredients. I wonder what else I have been eating...?!