These days, a lot of people are asking what is Sriracha seasoning? To answer, Sriracha is a variety of hot sauce originally from the coastal country of Thailand. Sriracha seasoning ingredients generally consist of salt, sugar, garlic, vinegar, and ground chilies. In the past few years, Sriracha has exploded in the foodie scene and become a culinary phenomenon. With all the uproar about this amazing hot sauce, we’re here to give you the 411 on this fiery food trend!
What Is Sriracha Seasoning: Get to Know This Spice
How Did Sriracha Become Popular?
Sriracha is the trendy hot sauce of the latest food revolution — and for a good reason. It is one of the best sauces available today, and it makes literally any dish even more delicious. US-based lovers of spicy sauce may be aware that David Tran’s company, Huy Fong Foods, is the most popular brand of Sriracha seasoning. In fact, Huy Fong has been the primary distributor of Sriracha since the 1980s. However, it didn’t cement its reputation and popularity until the 2000s. This is when well-known foodies started endorsing the brand’s Sriracha hot sauce and elevating it to a household spice.
In 2013, the company made more than $80 million in revenue and sold over 20 million bottles. All this without a single cent spent on advertising! Sriracha has really become a fixture in foodie and hipster subcultures, becoming even more popular each time a celebrity chef or food blogger references it as a recipe ingredient. The presence of Sriracha themed-products and events has also made a huge impact on its fame. Additionally, the efforts of the company to start a culture of transparency has helped the brand grow. For example, Huy Fong Foods opened the 650,000-square-foot Sriracha plant to the public, with David Tran making appearances, and it has become quite the tourist attraction.
How Much Sriracha Should I Use?
According to nutritionists, a dash of sriracha here and there is totally fine. In fact, it’s loaded with capsaicin, which is good for you. Also, the Sriracha variant with the green cap only contains a gram of sugar per teaspoon — something to consider each time you squeeze some onto your food. Just like any other hot sauce, Sriracha is used to add spice to any dish, according to your preference or tolerance. In Thailand, it is originally used as a dipping sauce, but it is also known to be a condiment for spring rolls, noodles, and mixed sauces. In the United States, it has become a go-to flavor, added to almost everything from soups to burgers, from chips to even scrambled eggs.
Why Does Sriracha Taste So Good?
If you add a dash of Sriracha to practically everything you eat, you know exactly why Sriracha tastes so good! Yes, it’s mainly because of the hot peppers. The American Chemical Society (ACS) breaks downs the scientific explanation behind the Sriracha flavor craze in a quick video posted on YouTube.
According to the video, the inside of hot peppers consists of molecules called capsaicinoids. These molecules are responsible for the production of the TRPV1 protein in our mouths, which is created as a response to temperatures above 109º or spicy foods.
To respond to the burn, our body releases pain-killing endorphins. Consequently, when tasting Sriracha, we’re experiencing an addicting combo of pain from the burn and satisfaction from the endorphins!
When Does Sriracha Expire?
Due to its unparalleled popularity, it’s normal to find Sriracha online, in almost every grocery store, and in restaurants across America. Fortunately, even if you were to buy 3-5 big bottles a year, you don’t have to worry about checking their expiration date.
According to PepperScale, an avid hot-sauce source, the capsaicin in the hot peppers, along with the acidic vinegar base found in Sriracha and other hot sauces, kills bacteria. Sriracha is a very simple hot sauce and can last for months and even years opened in a cupboard without any concern.
So does Sriracha expire? In theory, yes. However, even a person who only moderately uses Sriracha will be able to enjoy their bottle before it expires. Whichever hot sauce you prefer, you should be able to consume it all before it truly goes bad.
Where Is Sriracha on the Scoville Scale?
The Scoville scale refers to the benchmark test which ranks the spiciness of chili peppers and other spicy foods. The Scoville heat units (SHU), measure the pungency of capsaicin concentration. Sriracha is actually significantly less hot than Tabasco sauce and habanero pepper. It only scores 2,200 points on the Scoville scale, while habanero peppers are at 350,000 SHU, and Tabasco sauce is at 2,500-5,000 SHU.
Want to get behind the scenes of the Sriracha factory? Watch the video below from ZAGAT:
Sriracha is truly a huge trend in the food world. Fans swear by it and fanatics live for it. If you’re new to this hot sauce craze, why not grab a bottle of Sriracha spicy-goodness? That way you can find out what all the fuss is about. If you’re a pro, let us know which brand is your favorite and why!
Feel free to share your thoughts about what is Sriracha seasoning in the comments below!
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