All ethnic cuisines revolve around characteristic spices, but they’re each grounded in a distinctive sauce. Without marinara, what would make Italian food bellissimo? Middle Eastern fare might slip south on the flavor scale without hummus and baba ghanoosh. And would there be any reason to fiesta with rice and beans without the salsa? Even a good old American hot dog is a tad cold without a thick coat of mustard. Dinner without the complementary sauce is as ghastly as a term paper without punctuation marks for a high-school English teacher. Tomato sauces, salsa, wasabi, and Worcestershire are abundantly available for our dousing, dipping, and drizzling needs, but when it comes to chutneys, it’s easy to associate this delectable Indian condiment exclusively with the samosas at your favorite Indian palace. A few types can be found in grocery stores, but they’re so loaded with sugar that they’d serve better as dessert.

Then we discovered Hampton Chutney Co., which packages some unlikely all-natural varieties that will spark more ideas for chutney use than there are ways to pickle a cucumber. Each tub is the size of a hummus container, so dipping is inevitable. Try apple slices in the curry variety, which is heavily spiced and accented with flecks of coconut, or celery in the tangy chili-and-date-flavored cilantro version. Then there’s spreading, an optimal use for the pumpkin or mango types. These fruity varieties are slightly piquant and make interesting alternatives to jam on your morning muffin. Speaking of jam, if you’re tired of peanut butter with your Welch’s, try a smattering of the peanut chutney on your sandwich.

Available at Whole Foods stores for $3.99 for an eight-ounce package.