10 Facts About Hot Sauce You Didn’t Know
Hot sauce has become a global obsession for many food enthusiasts and chilliheads. From Sunday supper to dining at restaurants, hot sauce infuses flavor, heat, and spice into nearly every dish. That’s why hot sauce has become a popular condiment worldwide.
Hot sauce brands are constantly experimenting with heat and flavor, and the world of hot sauces continues to get more exciting. So, if you’re a spice lover or just a culinary enthusiast looking to add heat to your scrambled eggs, here are 10 facts about hot sauce you probably didn’t know about this hot condiment.
1. Hot Sauce Has a Long History, Dating All the Way Back to Ancient Cultures
The history of hot sauce goes back to the chili peppers that ancient cultures, such as the Aztecs and Mayans, grew in Mexico and South America. These chili peppers were highly valued for their medicinal properties, as a means of spicing up food, and also served as a natural preservative.
Chili peppers made their way to Europe during the Columbian Exchange when these fiery little veggies crossed the ocean and started spicing up Western dishes. The Columbian Exchange was like the widespread transfer of plants (seeds), animals, cultures, and, yep, spicy peppers, all thanks to Christopher Columbus’s voyages in the late 1400s.
By the 19th century, hot sauce was becoming super popular in the U.S. Tabasco hot sauce, made from Tabasco peppers, was leading the charge. Nowadays, hot sauces come in all different types, each boasting its own mix of chili peppers, vinegar, salt, and other spices.
2. Chili Peppers That Make Hot Sauce Have Their Own Heat Scale: The Scoville Scale
Yep, that's right - the Scoville Scale is a real and recognised way to measure the heat!. This scale measures the burning effect produced by different chili peppers. It ranges from mild peppers, such as the jalapeño, at around 5,000 Scoville heat units (SHU), to the ghost pepper at approximately 1 million SHU, and the infamous Carolina Reaper, which can reach a whopping 2.2 million SHU.
The heat is directly influenced by the peppers used, so expect sauces made from hot chili peppers, such as the Trinidad Scorpion sauce or habanero, to rank high on the Scoville scale. For example, our Xtreme Regret Hot Sauce brings fire from two of the world's hottest peppers: the Carolina Reaper and Trinidad Scorpion. We’ve packed this sauce with 50% peppers, delivering an unforgettable, fiery blaze of 800,000 SHU.
3. Hot Sauces Actually Have a Range of Health Benefits
If you thought hot sauce is just a condiment for heat and spicy goodness, think again. The primary ingredient in chili peppers, capsaicin, can increase metabolism, which helps with weight loss. Yep – that’s right! A study published in the Journal of Drug Discovery from Mother Nature suggests that eating chili peppers may help reduce inflammation and improve blood circulation. The study also showed that capsaicin can provide pain relief, particularly if you’re suffering from conditions such as arthritis.
Additionally, chili peppers are keto-friendly! This is because they’re very low in net carbs and provide vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for a balanced diet. The vitamin C in chili peppers helps boost the immune system. So, adding hot sauce to your meals might just spice up your health routine as well!
Wanna see it in action? We’ve packed our Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce with the intense heat of Ghost Pepper, Habanero Pepper, passion fruit juice, lime juice, and garlic to spice up your health routine. You can try it on chicken wings, burgers, tacos, spicy guacamole dip, or mix it into a Bloody Mary, and much more!
4. Hot Sauce Has Been Spicing Up Cultures Around the World
Worldwide, hot sauce represents tradition and culture. In Latin America, countries like Mexico incorporate hot sauce into almost everything from tacos to chicken wings. In Southeast Asia, the sriracha sauce is the legendary hot sauce famous for its spice and sweetness. And in America, hot sauce is a favorite found in almost every barbecue restaurant and diner.
Hot sauce is the life of the party at social events, from chill backyard BBQs to wild hot sauce throwdowns where you can test your heat tolerance. One of our own popular sauces for barbecues is the Beer Bacon Maple BBQ Sauce. This mouth-watering dipping sauce and marinade adds a spicy flavor with a kick to everything edible.
5. Extreme Hot Sauces Are Getting Hotter and Even More Popular
If you believe you've tried the hottest hot sauce available, think twice. The phenomenon of extremely hot sauces has been gaining momentum, with hot sauce makers increasing the heat with pure extracts, such as capsaicin or pepper extract. These are literally off the charts in terms of intensity, and some of them reach heat levels that are barely tolerable.
Due to the popularity of spicy food challenges on social media, demand for increasingly hotter and more intense sauces has become more overwhelming than ever. People will try to outdo each other in seeing who can handle the heat!
6. Hot Sauce Gets Its Spice From Chili Peppers and Other Spices
The heat in hot sauce comes straight from the chili peppers. There are different types of hot peppers, such as cayenne, habanero, and ghost pepper, and each has its own degree of hotness. In addition to peppers, hot sauce makers often use vinegar to add acidity and balance the heat. They also add salt to enhance the flavor, while ingredients like garlic and even fruit, such as mango or pineapple, help create a more complex flavor profile.
While vinegar-based hot sauces tend to have a tangy kick, others, such as mayonnaise-based sauces, offer a creamier, milder heat. With so many different peppers, flavors, and spices in play, the possibilities for formulating hot sauces are virtually endless.
Not all hot sauces are made to set your mouth on fire. At Elijah’s Xtreme, we emphasize adding both heat and flavour to our sauces, making them the perfect accompaniment to chips, meat, beans, vegetables, or even scrambled eggs. For instance, our Hot Honey is a melt-in-your-mouth blend of 100% pure honey infused with the fiery kick of Carolina Reaper peppers. It’s sweet with a slow-burning heat that builds up to a mouthwatering intensity.
7. Capsaicin Is What Causes the Burning Effect in Hot Sauce
When you taste that spicy hot sauce, capsaicin and capsaicinoids go to work, triggering the TRPV1 heat sensor in your nerves. This creates that burning sensation, even though there's no real damage happening. Your brain just thinks you’re on fire!
If you're a hot sauce fanatic, frequent exposure can actually reduce your sensitivity to heat. Over time, your body gets used to the burn, which is why spice lovers can handle even the hottest sauces. So, don’t worry, you're not actually burning up; it's just your body's way of reacting to the heat.
8. Hot Sauce Is a Staple in Gourmet Kitchens
Hot sauce has now become a staple in gourmet kitchens. Chefs use hot sauces to add depth and flavor to fine dining, matching them with everything from seafood to meat and soups. A dash of hot sauce adds flavor to a dish without overwhelming the taste.
The hot sauce industry has seen an explosion of creativity, with new and unique varieties emerging in high-end restaurants. Gourmet hot sauces are now being sold in luxury food shops. For example, our dipping sauces showcase creativity that many restaurants value. They’re loved for their sweet flavor with a slow-burning heat that builds up to a mouthwatering intensity.
9. The Hot Sauce Industry is a Billion-Dollar Business
What was previously a niche market has grown to a billion-dollar business. Hot sauces are no longer just a condiment sold in local stores. The demand has grown as more people experiment with spicy food and incorporate hot sauce into their everyday meals.
The hot sauce industry continues to grow with new innovations, including the use of flavored vinegars and rare peppers like the Trinidad Scorpion or Carolina Reaper. Hot sauce festivals and competitions have become more popular, including Guinness World Records events, where the world’s hottest sauce often takes center stage.
10. Hot Sauce Can Be Intense – Enjoy It in Moderation for the Best Experience
While hot sauce can be exhilarating to use in your foods, it’s best to use it in moderation. Eating too much hot sauce, especially if made from extremely spicy peppers, might trigger gastrointestinal issues such as heartburn, stomach cramps, or diarrhea.
Know your heat limit and don’t push it too far.. Even the burning sensation from spicy sauces can be uncomfortable for some people. Enjoying hot sauces in moderation is the best way to appreciate the flavors without overdoing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hot Sauce Healthy or Unhealthy?
Hot sauce can be a healthy addition to your meals when you eat it in moderation. The capsaicin found in red chili peppers and other hot peppers offers several health benefits, such as boosting metabolism, reducing inflammation, and supporting heart health. However, too much hot sauce can mess with your stomach, so keep it balanced and enjoy it in moderation.
What Organ Does Hot Sauce Affect?
Hot sauce primarily affects the digestive system. The capsaicin in red chili peppers creates the burning sensation you feel in your mouth, and it can also stimulate your digestive tract. For some people, this might aid digestion, while for others, it could lead to irritation, especially in the stomach. Going heavy on spicy dip or hot sauce might give you heartburn or an upset stomach. In small amounts, it can even stimulate bile production in the liver, helping with the digestion of fats.
What Are the Features of Hot Sauce?
Hot sauces are made with chilli peppers and other ingredients that bring the heat, flavor, and versatility. Most hot sauces use chili peppers, vinegar, and salt as base ingredients, often with garlic, mustard, or other seasonings to add flavor. These ingredients combine to create a spice that complements a wide variety of dishes like tacos, chicken, eggs, and even soups. Hot sauces range from mild, such as cayenne sauce, to fiery ones made with Carolina Reaper or Tabasco peppers. If you're looking to add heat to a meal or experiment with creative ways to spice up a recipe, hot sauce can do it all.
Which Country Invented Hot Sauce?
The invention of hot sauce has deep roots in the Americas, where chili peppers are native. The first sauce that became globally popular was Tabasco sauce, developed in the mid-1800s on Avery Island, Louisiana. Edward McIlhenny got the seeds from Colonel Maunsell White and started growing Tabasco peppers in Louisiana. He then started bottling and selling Tabasco hot sauce, which paved the way for success in America. While cultures in South Carolina and Mexico have long embraced spicy food, Tabasco sauce became one of the early brands to introduce hot sauces to the world.
Does Hot Sauce Burn Belly Fat?
We hate to disappoint, but hot sauce doesn’t directly target belly fat. That said, capsaicin in hot peppers can slightly increase your metabolism and promote fat burning. A study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology suggests that eating food with hot sauce can increase body temperature, potentially helping you burn more calories. This effect is minimal, and hot sauce should be part of a solid health and cooking strategy that includes exercise and a balanced diet to keep your weight in check. So, while hot sauce can help add heat to your meals, it’s not a quick fix for fat loss.
Final Thoughts
Hot sauce is a flavorful experience that has become a beloved staple worldwide. From its rich history to the growing hot sauce industry, these hot sauce facts reveal how this spicy condiment has found a permanent place in kitchens, restaurants, festivals, events, and spicy food challenges alike.
If you want to add heat to your chicken wings or discover a new flavor with other sauces, there’s a world of spicy excitement waiting for you. So, next time you add flavor to your tacos or soups, remember that hot sauce is not just those regular spices, but a condiment with a rich, flavorful history!
References
- Fernandes, E. S., Cerqueira, A. R. A., Soares, A. G., & Costa, S. K. (2016). Capsaicin and its role in chronic diseases. Drug Discovery from Mother Nature, 91-125.
- Matsumoto, T., Miyawaki, C., Ue, H., Yuasa, T., Miyatsuji, A., & Moritani, T. (2000). Effects of capsaicin-containing yellow curry sauce on sympathetic nervous system activity and diet-induced thermogenesis in lean and obese young women. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 46(6), 309-315.