Forthcoming — date unconfirmed
Gamle Oslo doesn't need to prove its food credentials. Maaemo's three Michelin stars in Bjørvika and the Grønland spice markets that taught a generation of cooks what to do with chili already make the case. But this week the bydel picks up a new one. MUNNVOLD, made in a Gamlebyen kitchen by Kristoffer Vold, has taken Gold and Best in Category in Medium Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition.
MUNNVOLD is Kristoffer Vold's own kitchen project, built around fermentation and all-natural ingredients, gluten-free and vegan. Twelve years in from the Haba Nekro habanero in 2014 and formal brand launch in 2016, the line is stocked at Gutta på Haugen and poured into Bloody Marys at Kniven, Vaterland and Tons of Rock. Kristoffer is also a black-metal drummer; aesthetics and taste are part of the same project.
Munnvold Yuzu (Gold, Best in Category, Medium Chili Sauce): Japanese yuzu, fermented scotch bonnet, a citrus-led build. Fresh and tangy up front, with the slow building heat fermented scotch bonnets give. The kind of sauce that works on sushi and sashimi as much as on grilled fish, oysters, fried chicken or a cucumber salad, wherever bright acidity needs a partner.
Two further Silvers sit alongside the Gold. In the same Medium Chili Sauce category, Munnvold Habanero takes Silver. In Hot Chili Sauce, Munnvold Hot Chipotle takes Silver.
"Honestly still speechless. MUNNVOLD started in 2014 with a habanero sauce called Haba Nekro, ran out of a Grønland kitchen, and 1st place in a blind European panel is hard to take in. Massive thanks to Gutta på Haugen, Kniven, Vaterland, Tons of Rock and everyone who put the sauce on a shelf or in a Bloody Mary." – Kristoffer Vold, MUNNVOLD
Medium Chili Sauce drew the deepest field at EHSA 2026, with 70 producers entering. An independent producer like MUNNVOLD taking Best in Category against that scale is what the blind format is built to surface. Every entry was tasted in coded bottles, scored on five criteria, by a deliberately mixed panel: professional chefs, sommeliers and food critics on one side, serious chilli specialists and fanatics on the other.
"EHSA exists to identify the European hot sauces that are genuinely exceptional, and the Medium Chili Sauce category is one of the most competitive we run. The category punishes anything that mistakes heat for character, and the winner has to lead on flavour and integration, not Scoville. For MUNNVOLD to take Gold and Best in Category after twelve years building the brand is what these awards exist to recognise, and we'll be watching what the Munnvold team bring out next." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
The Medium Chili Sauce category proves not all chili sauces need to be about ridiculous heat and dares; these are sauces that deserve a place on any table. The strongest entries worked from regional flavours, fermented chili and the depth only independent production gives. Anyone who loves a medium hot sauce, and anyone who eats chili for flavour first, should try this sauce and see for themselves.
"Republic of Heat tastes hundreds of European hot sauces a year for our Discovery subscription, and Munnvold Yuzu has just moved to the top of our list of sauces to try. Yuzu and fermented scotch bonnet built by a producer twelve years in, taking Best in Category across a 70-strong Medium field. That's exactly the kind of result our subscribers should be tasting next. Gamlebyen has a sauce maker the rest of the city should know about." – Nathan "Naga" Austin, co-founder, Republic of Heat (republicofheat.com)
Munnvold Yuzu is available at munnvold.no and through stockists including Gutta på Haugen in Oslo. Republic of Heat will release limited-edition EHSA winner boxes in June 2026 at republicofheat.com; the full Medium Chili Sauce reveal sits on its YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/t6_GvbkBCM8). Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu.
ABOUT MUNNVOLD MUNNVOLD is an Oslo-based hot sauce brand run by Kristoffer Vold from a Gamlebyen kitchen. The first sauce, Haba Nekro habanero, was made in spring 2014; MUNNVOLD formally launched as a brand in 2016. All sauces are fermented and use all-natural ingredients, gluten-free and vegan. Stocked at Gutta på Haugen and used as a Bloody Mary base at Kniven, Vaterland and Tons of Rock. Website: munnvold.no.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 400 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a Berlin-based hot sauce subscription founded in June 2025 by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked European craft hot sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU for €35 per month, postage within Germany included. Republic of Heat stocks only European producers who are as passionate about flavour as we are. No American sauces, no extract-based products. Press partner of EHSA 2026. Website: republicofheat.com
PRESS CONTACT Simon "Scoville" Gardner Press, European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
On behalf of: European Hot Sauce Awards (heatawards.eu)
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