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Thursday, November 14, 2013

Sriracha Chili Sauce – the latest “hot” trend



Fads come and go in the food industry.  The landscape changes quickly, and marketers jump on a specific product’s bandwagon and seem to play it into the ground.  Think single-cup coffee makers.  Avocados and soft-pretzel buns at fast food and counter-serve restaurants.  Bacon on everything (wait – who said that’s a bad thing?).

The latest and greatest condiment sweeping the nation is Sriracha, the hot chili sauce from Thailand.



The Four State Food Critic likes to think he was ahead of the curve on this one, as I’ve had a bottle of Sriracha sauce in my fridge for a long time.  For those of you who’ve not yet tried it, Sriracha is a hot sauce composed of Thai chili pepper, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt.  It packs a nice punch of heat (about half as hot as a jalapeno pepper).

You can use this stuff on everything (and the FSFC does).  It’s a great addition to soups, sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers, or meatloaf.  You can even mix it in with ketchup to add a little kick to your fries.

The food industry is catching on (I’m sure McDonalds or Burger King will be offering packages of “Sriracha ketchup” at any moment).  Sriracha chili sauce can now be found as special “flavors” of beef jerky, popcorn, and potato chips.  Subway sandwich shops are now even offering a “Sriracha Steak Melt” on their menu.  The recent spike in popularity has actually created a Sriracha shortage, as more and more people are clamboring to get some.

You can find Sriracha at most grocery stores in the same aisle as ketchup, mustard and other condiments. The most famous version is from Huy Fong Foods (as pictured above).  Look for the big rooster on the bottle.  Grab one before its gone and spice things up in your kitchen!

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