What is hot sauce?

One Hot sauce is a condiment. That is, a spice that gives food new flavors. Flavor nuances. Hot sauce can be eaten with and on everything.

There are a lot of varieties. Both strong and mild. All bottles have a base of chilies, but enthusiasts experiment with a lot of ingredients and fermentations, so you can Taste chili in new ways.

The style and consistency of the condiment varies greatly from region to region. Diverse cultures all have their traditions that have been refined by generation after generation, so bottles of chili are often an expression of traditions and food cultures.

Midsummer's focus on fermentation is a Norwegian and New Nordic take on the seasoning, Italian enthusiasts proudly use local, fresh ingredients, and the Americans' focus on aging the chilies in oak barrels is an old Louisiana tradition. The Mexican Piquin and Arbol chilies are also a traditional favorite in the Mexican bottles.

The condiment also has its roots in ancient Mexico. Here, people mashed chilies from the plants they grew and cultivated and mixed the chilies with water, but it was only later that hot sauce caught on. Commercial hot sauces can be dated back to 1868 AD. The oldest existing manufacturer was established that year, and you may have guessed that the manufacturer is, of course, Tabasco.

But in recent years, more and more experimental enthusiasts have entered the market. Maybe it's a food revolution. You know for sure that experiments are being made with wine and natural wine, beer, cider and such good things in bottles, but maybe the same is happening with chili in bottles. Now you can get new flavor nuances for your food via hot sauces with ingredients like lemon and coffee and coconut charcoal and yes, everything.

Here is an introduction to various versions of the condiment...

Hot Sauce traditional

A classic bottle is brewed from pureed chilies, which can be smoked, roasted or fermented. In addition, the chilies are often mixed with other ingredients such as lemon, orange, tomato, olive, cocoa, coffee, schnapps or red wine vinegar. Traditional hot sauce is produced all over the globe. From Stavanger to New York, and from Eindhoven to Parma.

See e.g. Chili Klaus SNAPs

Louisiana style

Also a classic. The style has roots in the American state of Louisiana and is relatively simple; chilies, vinegar and salt. Perhaps it is aged in oak barrels, and the taste is... wow ! Tabasco is in the Louisiana family. You can swear that the consistency is always thin and fine.

See e.g. Midsummers Louisiana

Mexican style

The base is either Piquin, Arbol or Mexican chipotle chilies. Chipotle are typically smoked jalapeño or morita chilies. The consistency is very similar to the Louisiana style, thin and fine. Also a classic.

See e.g. Cholula

Caribbean style

Bottled chili from the Caribbean is hot . Based mainly on Scotch Bonnet, which is very strong, and Habanero. Thicker consistency than the Louisiana and a tropical style, because it is often also sweetened with exotic fruits such as passion fruit.

See for example Chili Klaus The Anchor

Sriracha style

Sriracha has a base of fermented chilies and tastes fermented, but also a bit sweet. The style has roots in Asian cuisine.

Try e.g. White Whale Sauce's mix of sriracha and chipotle, Chipolacha

Salsa

Salsa is a type of sauce that has a base of tomato and spices such as coriander, basil, salt, onion and chili. Salsa can be both fresh and cooked, depending on whether you get it in a Mexican street food or served in an Italian kitchen. bruschetta .

Enchilada salsa

Close to the Danish sauce . Made with oil and flour flavored with classic spices from Mexican cuisine such as coriander, onion and chili.

Barbecue

Maybe you've tasted BBQ, and surprise , bbq is a sauce on a base of tomato with spices, brown sugar and chili. Great for grilling! Sweet, strong and sugar-burnt! The tradition has roots in the Caribbean, but Americans are also proud of the bbq .

Try, for example, Chili Klaus bbq .

Harissa

From the Arabic cuisine you get harissa . Harissa is a paste (puree) of chili and piquillo, and you can read a guide to making harissa here.

Chili oil

The classic chili oil is also a condiment. A must have for pizza, pita, meze or as a dip for some delicious sourdough bread. If you want to make a chili oil a la Chili Klaus, you can read about it here .

Sources_Chili Klaus book, An Illustrated History of Hot Sauce , Tabasco , Firelli