What’s peanut butter without jelly? What are hot dogs without mustard? What’s tuna without mayo? What’s yin without yang? While condiments may seem like bit players in the world of foodies, they are often the essential element that makes or breaks a specific dish or an entire cuisine. I particularly enjoy the spiciest of condiments. Most contain chili peppers, their degrees of “hotness” famously measured by the Scoville scale, developed by American chemist Wilbur Scoville in 1912.
These spicy condiments’ places of origin are as diverse as their flavors. They come from Jamaica, Louisiana, Vietnam, and Seoul. The following is a selection of some of my favorite hot sauces:
Tabasco
According to the Tabasco website, banker Edmund McIlhenny planted his first hot pepper seeds right after the Civil War on his Avery Island, Louisiana estate. McIlhenny was given the seeds from Mexico or Central America by a banker friend who had been growing pepper before the war. McIlhenny began experimenting with the peppers to make a sauce. When he had the right mix, he began selling his Tabasco sauce in used perfume bottles; thus, the current bottle’s unusual shape. Although the sauce is marketed all over the world, it’s still made at the McIlhenny family estate on Avery Island. Also not that half the company’s 200 employees live on the island.
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
Frank’s is my personal favorite Louisiana hot sauce. It was created in 1920 by New Iberia, Louisiana pepper farmer Adam Estilette and Ohio spice merchant Jacob Frank. In 1964, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce was used as a secret ingredient for the Anchor Bar’s world famous Buffalo chicken wings. Note that Frank’s now markets a Buffalo wings mix.
Jamaican Jerk Sauce
Jerk is an essential part of Jamaican island cooking. It’s one of the world’s hottest sauces and one of my favorites. While it’s a mix of spices, the two main ingredients are allspice (from the Jamaican pimento plant) and Scotch Bonnet peppers, rated as one of the hottest hot peppers on the Scoville scale. There are many brands of jerk sauce. My personal favorite is Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk Seasonings.
Sriracha
Sriracha, or “cock sauce” because of its rooster logo, is one of the most popular brands of Asian hot sauce in the world. Its use is now crossing over into other world cuisines. It was first made in Vietnam; then brought over to the U.S. by a Vietnamese immigrant who opened Huy Fong Foods in Los Angeles. Sriracha has become so popular that it’s sold in many supermarket chains.
Kimchi
Korean kimchi, however, is an acquired taste. This condiment is as much a condiment staple to Korean food as ketchup is to American food. It’s a dish made of highly spiced and fermented vegetables, most commonly Napa Cabbage. When kimchi originated, chile peppers were unknown in Korea. They only became an essential ingredient of kimchi after they were introduced to Korea by North American traders.
Pace Picante Sauce
In 1992, salsa officially passed ketchup in dollar sales, becoming the number one condiment in the United States. One of the most popular salsa products is Pace Picante Sauce. In 1947, when David Pace began to sell his bottled hot sauce in Texas, he didn’t quite get the ingredients right. According to Pace, “My sauce bottles exploded all over the grocery shelves because I couldn’t get the darned formula right.”
SOURCES:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/annual/hotsauce/96/dates.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_jerk_spice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi
