A hot sauce is any spicy condiment sauce made with vinegar and chile peppers (fruits from plants of the genus Capsicum), or the extract of chiles. The most famous American brand of hot sauce is Tabasco sauce.
Various different types of hot sauces are common ingredient in Mexican and Cajun cuisine. They are also very typical in Asian cuisines, including those in/from Vietnam and Thailand.
Chiles
Common base-chiles in Mexican hot sauces are jalapeño (fresh), chipotle (dried/smoked chiles, usually jalapeños), and habanero. The Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce, made from sun-ripened chiles, can be found in many different Asian restaurants (and even occasionally in Mexican restaurants).
Heat
The heat (or burning) felt when consuming hot sauce is caused by capsaicin. The burning sensation is not "real" in the sense that damage is being wrought on the tissues of the mouth (or whatever mucous membrane is being affected, should a person be so unfortunate as to get hot sauce in their eye or forget to wash their hands before using the bathroom). In fact, it is merely a non-damaging chemical reaction with the body's neurological system (see this techical explanation).
The seemingly subjective percieved heat of hot sauces can be measured by the Scoville Scale.
The hottest hot sauce scientifically possible is one rated at 16,000,000 Scoville units, which makes it pure capsaicin.
Examples of hot sauces marketed as achieving this level of heat are Blair's 6am Reserve (due to production variances, it's up to 16 million Scoville units) and Blair's 16 Million Reserve (which is noted as 'for display/novelty only') marketed by Blair's Sauces & Snacks. By comparison, Tabasco sauce is rated between 2,500 and 5,000 Scoville units (batches vary).
Remedies
The effects of ingestion of a hot sauce deemed 'too hot' by the consumer can be partially remedied by drinking milk or tomato juice or by eating raw tomatoes. Contrary to many people's initial reaction, drinking water (or soda, beer, or most other typically available beverages) actually makes the burning sensation worse. While the immediate effect may be quelling of the burning pain by the physical coolness of the liquid, water only distributes the capsaicin more broadly in the mouth and throat, causing more pain.
See also
External links
- Official Tabasco sauce website
- Extreme Food — Home of Blair's Sauces & Snacks