Tuesday, January 07, 2014

The Sriacha Hot Sauce Panic

Bottles of Pepper Goodness
OK its not really a panic but the very popular hot sauce is facing a dilemma which might affect its many fans. But first a little background on the sauce, Sriacha is a hot sauce made from red Fresno chili peppers, white vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. Its named after the coastal city of Si Racha in Eastern Thailand, its a common condiment found on most tables in Southeast Asia. In the U.S. there are a few brands but the most famous is made by Huy Fong Foods in Los Angeles with its trademark Rooster and its green cap, to say its popular is a understatement, it just be the biggest thing since ketchup. Recently there has been complaints and a lawsuit from people neighboring its factory, they claim to have breathing problems with pepper odors during production in the fall. A California Judge has ruled for shipments of sauce to halt for 30 days and allow the health department to test for microorganisms. The Company is now being courted by other cities and some states to make the sauce. I scrambled to buy a few cases for my restaurant to get us through the shortage but too late, its not available right now.

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