Hot sauces have been produced around the world for centuries and are an essential part of many cuisines – but what makes them so appealing? We know that humans love the heat of chilli peppers because they contain capsaicin, a compound which happens to be a perfect fit for receptors in our mouths designed to register burning from other heat sources, like a boiling hot cup of tea. We experience pain, which triggers the brain to release enjoyable endorphins, our body’s home-grown opiates. So we get off on the buzz of eating these aggressive little fruits but we also appreciate their flavour, which varies depending on the particular chilli; from the teeny tiny orange chiltepin to the wide green poblano.
Hot sauces blend chillies of varying heat levels with a range of other ingredients which may enhance flavour and/or mitigate firepower. At its most basic, a hot sauce is just pounded chillies and salt, but other ingredients bring depth and umami to complement the heat. For example, dried seafood such as shrimp may be incorporated to provide funk (African shito, Singaporean XO), while for others, such as an Indian chilli chutney, spices are key.
Consistencies of sauce vary from the thick, sweet and almost ketchup-like (e.g. sriracha) to thin, vinegary and hot (see the Louisiana-style cayenne sauces, or Belizean habanero). Those made with freshly pounded chillies and herbs such as Yemenite zhoug may be served fresh, while others are fermented or aged. Some sauces are thick pastes, such as Korean gochujang, while others are oils with chilli sediment like the Chinese chilli oils.
Whatever the style, a good hot sauce is appreciated for its ability to add excitement to meals, be it simply sploshed onto food as a seasoning (perhaps poached eggs or oysters) or as a more fundamental component of a recipe – see the speciality fried chicken found in Nashville, Tennessee, or the sauce used to coat buffalo wings. Here are six different hot sauce recipes to get you started.
