If you have ever stood at a frites stand in Brussels or Lille and stared at a board listing twenty sauces, Hannibal was probably on it. Orange, creamy and sweet with roasted onion, it is one of those sauces that regulars ask for by name and newcomers order once out of curiosity, then keep ordering.
In the UK it is still rare. Most takeaways have heard of Algerian and Samurai by now, but Hannibal is the next one along, and very few shops stock it. That makes it a cheap way to put something on your counter that the place down the road does not have.
This guide explains what Hannibal sauce is, how it tastes, what it goes with, and how to buy it in formats that suit a takeaway. Home cooks can pick up a single tub from the BurgerPro shop.
Hannibal is a Belgian snack sauce made by Colona, the family-run Belgian sauce company founded in 1963. Colona describes it as an emulsified tomato sauce with roasted onions, orange in colour, made particularly for fried snacks and meat.
In plain terms, it is a creamy, mayonnaise-style sauce blended with tomato and roasted onion. Think of it as sitting somewhere between a burger sauce and a sweet onion relish, with a smooth, spoonable texture and a bright orange colour that stands out on a tray of chips.
It belongs to the same family as Andalouse, Samurai, Algerian and Brazil: the cold, creamy sauces served in Belgian frites shops and kebab houses. Each one starts from a similar emulsified base and goes in a different direction. Hannibal’s direction is sweet, savoury and oniony.
The first thing you notice is the sweetness and the tomato. Then the roasted onion comes through, which gives it a deeper, more savoury finish than a plain pink sauce.
It is not a chilli sauce. If you are coming from Algerian or Samurai, expect something milder and rounder, closer to a rich burger sauce than a hot dip. That makes it a good choice for customers who want something different without the heat.
The texture is creamy and thick enough to sit on a chip or a burger without running off, which is exactly what you want from a counter sauce.
You will also see Hannibal Mammouth, which BurgerPro stocks in a 10L bucket. It is a closely related recipe in the same style: a creamy tomato sauce with roasted onions. If you are buying in bulk for a high-volume counter, this is the format to look at.
Nawhal’s makes its own sauce in a similar spirit, called Mammouth. Nawhal’s describes it as tomato flavoured with sweet onions, made for fried foods and Belgian fricadelles. It comes in 500ml and 950ml tubs. If your counter already runs on Nawhal’s formats, Mammouth is the natural partner; if you run Colona, stick with Hannibal. All Mammouth options are grouped under the Mammoth sauce tag.
If you already stock some Belgian snack sauces, it helps to know where Hannibal fits so you are not doubling up.
A counter with Algerian, Samurai and Hannibal covers gentle spice, proper heat and no heat at all, which is a tidy three-sauce line-up for a burger bar or kebab house. Our explainers on Algerian sauce and Samurai sauce go into those two in more detail.
Colona built Hannibal for fried snacks and meat, and that is exactly where it shines.
The classic use. A stripe of Hannibal over a portion of fries is how it is served across Belgium and northern France. It pairs particularly well with a thicker cut like Aviko H-Prem Crunch 9.5mm fries, which holds the sauce without going soft.
Hannibal works as a house burger sauce for customers who want something sweeter and more oniony than the usual pink sauce, and it works just as well in wraps and sandwiches. Try it on a double smash with cheese and crispy onions. Our smash burger guide covers the patties and technique.
On doner, chicken shish or a mixed grill, Hannibal gives you a sweet, savoury alternative to garlic mayo on grilled meats. It sits well alongside a chilli sauce, so customers can have both. Our kebab shop sauces guide covers how to build a full counter.
Tenders, nuggets, chicken fries and onion rings all suit it. In a meal box, a Hannibal dipping pot next to a sweet BBQ pot gives customers two different sweet-and-savoury options.
Cheese sauce, Hannibal and crispy onions over fries is a simple loaded build that tastes like nothing else on most UK menus. If you want heat, add jalapeños or a drizzle of chilli on top. See our loaded fries ideas for more builds.
BurgerPro stocks Colona Hannibal in five formats, which covers most ways a takeaway serves sauce.
If you are new to formats, our guide to sauce sachets, dipping pots, biboxes and buckets explains which one suits which kind of service. The full Colona range is in the Colona Tubbies collection.
Hannibal will not sell itself if it is just a word on a list. A few things help.
Describe it. “Hannibal: creamy, sweet, roasted onion” tells a customer what they are getting. A name on its own makes most people default to garlic mayo.
Put it on a named item. “Hannibal fries” or “the Hannibal burger” gets far more orders than “sauce: Hannibal” in a drop-down. People order dishes, not condiments.
Offer tasters. If you have a counter, a small pot of Hannibal with a few chips for regulars is the fastest way to build demand.
Pair it with something spicy. Because Hannibal is mild, it makes a good partner for a chilli sauce or Samurai on the same dish. Customers like a sweet and a hot together.
Market it to the people who already know it. In areas with Belgian, French or North African communities, plenty of customers will recognise the name. Saying “we stock Colona Hannibal” on your menu or app can be enough to win their order.
Treat Hannibal like any other emulsified sauce. Keep unopened tubs and pots somewhere cool, refrigerate once opened, and use within the period stated on the pack. If you decant from a BiBox or bucket into squeeze bottles, label and date each bottle and wash it out between refills rather than topping up.
Serve it straight from the tub. It is made to be used cold, and its thick texture is part of the appeal on hot chips, where it softens slightly without running off.
Colona holds halal certification for its range. As with any product, check the specific pack and certification before stating it on your menu. Our post on halal burger sauce essentials covers what to look for.
For allergens, Colona lists egg among Hannibal’s allergens and notes it may contain mustard. Always check the label on the pack you receive and record allergens in your own allergen matrix.
A Belgian snack sauce made by Colona: an emulsified tomato sauce with roasted onions, orange in colour, made for fried snacks and meat.
Creamy, sweet and savoury, with tomato and roasted onion. It is mild rather than spicy.
No. Hannibal is a sweet, oniony tomato sauce. If you want heat, pair it with Samurai, Algerian or a chilli sauce.
Both are creamy Belgian sauces with tomato. Andalouse leans on tomato and peppers, while Hannibal leans on roasted onion and sweetness. Our Andalouse sauce guide has more.
Chips and fries first, then burgers, kebabs, chicken tenders, nuggets and loaded fries.
BurgerPro stocks Colona Hannibal in 350ml and 850ml tubs, a 2 x 4L BiBox, 20ml dipping pots and a 10L Hannibal Mammouth bucket, with delivery across the UK.
Colona Hannibal ships from BurgerPro’s Birmingham warehouse to anywhere in the UK, dispatched within 1 to 2 working days. Start with the 350ml tub to trial it, move to the 850ml tubby once it sells, and complete the wholesale enquiry form for trade pricing on biboxes, buckets and dipping pots.
