This, my friends, is “Salsa Seca”. At least it is according to the menu at San Francisco’s Tartine Manufactory.

First, there is the taste: It’s like chili oil, but it’s not too spicy; it’s smoky, warm. You taste the chili, and you know that it’s there because it has imparted it’s flavor and fragrance and vibrancy into the oil. But it’s OK. He’s not here to hurt you. He’s tame; he plays well with other. Then there is the crunch: Instead of there just being chilis in said oil, there are also sesame seeds, and flax seeds, and sunflower seeds, and pepitas… and wait, wait, are those cashews? Yes, yes those are cashews.