I grew up putting hot sauce on everything. I just love it. My first favorite was Tabasco. It has acidic saltiness with a pleasant heat level. Of course, I always keep a couple bottles of sriracha on hand to put on anything and everything, especially pizza and pasta. We also have a half gallon bottle of Frank’s Red Hot, which makes a great wing sauce. Honestly, I haven’t found a food I don’t love that one on. It would be easy to continue naming all the delicious hot sauces that have a permanent home in my fridge, but that would be a book. My last mention is Shark brand sriracha chili sauce. I have been enjoying this one for several years, and it is the current favorite of my wife, who is extremely particular about hot sauces. 

I was doing some research and was reminded of chilis originating from South and Central America. That is probably where the first hot sauces were created by the Aztecs, who combined chilis, water and herbs. It wasn’t until the 16th century that chilis were introduced to the rest of the world by sailors and traders. It is incredible to think that these delightful and sometimes extremely spicy vegetables have been made of part of so many cuisines. 

Tabasco was created in Louisiana in 1868 by Edmund McIlhenny, who was a banker. He made it for family and friends at first, but eventually it became popular and was commercially produced. Sriracha was first created in Thailand in the 1940s by Ms. Thanom Chakkapak who also made it for family and friends and then produced it commercially. It went on to become the best-selling hot sauce in Thailand, eventually spreading to Vietnam, where it is a must for Pho in my and many others’ opinions. This is part of how it came to the USA by way of David Tran, who created the Sriracha we all know and love. Frank’s Red Hot was created in 1918 and was commercially produced in 1920. Though it was quite popular, it wasn’t until 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when buffalo wings were created that it really took off. Shark brand is a Thai sauce that is thinner with a bit more complex and balanced, in my opinion, compared to the sriracha made by Huy Fong. 

Making hot sauces is a relatively easy process. Combine chilis, salt and vinegar. Cook them together, then blend and strain, and you have a very quick and simple hot sauce. By adding a little simple food science — fermenting — you add a ton of flavor. Combine the chilis and salt in a container, and let them ferment at room temperature for one to seven days. After the fermentation process, add the vinegar, cook, strain and bottle. At any point, vegetables, spices, herbs or anything delicious can be added to give complexity and character to your hot sauce. If the sauce is too thin, agar agar can be stirred in to give the texture you enjoy. Sugar is often used to bring a little balance to the sour and heat, and brown sugar adds a bit of bitterness and smoke from the molasses. Red jalapeño, Fresno, cayenne and habanero peppers are often used, but you can use any chili you like. 

I found a fun new piece of information while researching. The Scoville scale, which was created in 1912 by Wilbur Scoville, is a way of measuring how hot or pungent peppers are. How it works is the pepper extract is diluted with sugar water until the heat is no longer detectable, so the number of the scale represents how many units of sugar water are necessary to stop the heat. A jalapeño is 10,000 dilutions, and habanero is 350,000 dilutions. The chemical that causes heat in peppers is known as capsaicin, and its dilution is 16 million.

Hot sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh chilis
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ cups vinegar

Instructions 

1. Combine chilis, salt and sugar. Puree in a blender or food processor.
2. Place it into a jar. Loosely cover with a lid, or place a piece of cheesecloth over the top held in place by twine or a rubber band.
3. Let sit for one day. Remove the lid, and gently stir. Repeat this for up to seven days. The fermentation process is happening if you see bubbles. Use a clean utensil to stir to avoid contamination. If mold occurs, discard and begin again.
4. Add the vinegar, and puree again.
5. Bring to a boil, strain, bottle and store in the fridge.
6. This is the basic recipe. Have fun and add onion, garlic, ginger, spices or whatever you love. Make it delicious, and put it on everything. Share with friends and family. If it is good enough, commercially produce. Enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.