If you're into hot sauce, you'll enjoy discovering ten untold truths of Tabasco. This hot sauce
brand is made from Tabasco peppers, as well as a couple of other savory ingredients. The
company's collection of hot sauces are made by the McIllhenny Company. This company's
factory is located in Louisiana, on scenic Avery Island. In the old days, the hot sauce
was packaged with the same diamond-shaped logo that is found on bottles of Tabasco hot
sauce today, though it used to be sold in secondhand cologne bottles. Today, Tabasco
is the world's premier hot sauce brand. It's a brand with USA roots and so much authenticity.
Now, let's uncover some spicy Tabasco secrets...
The Tabasco Company Was Formed in 1868
This Louisiana company, founded in 1868, is best-known for its Original Red Pepper Sauce.
The recipe for the original hot sauce gets passed down through the McIllhenny generations. But
how did it get its start? After the American Civil War, it was time for Reconstruction
in the South. During this period, food tended to be bland and there wasn’t a host of food
options available. People ate what they could get their hands on. With a mind to spicing
up the local cuisine, the company's founder, Edmund McIllheny, created a red pepper sauce
recipe that would add excitement and taste to even the blandest food. Edmund loved
to garden and he loved to eat. When he was gifted with Capsicum frutescens pepper seeds,
which came from Central America or Mexico, he planted them in Louisiana, on Avery Island,
and then nurtured them with care. As time passed, workers at his pepper farm started
using small red sticks, called "batons rouge", to assess the ripeness of the crop. These
little red sticks are still utilized today.
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Tobasco Sauce Contains a Trio of Key Ingredients
The original red pepper sauce has just a trio of ingredients, which are salt, vinegar, and
red Tabasco peppers. The premium quality of the peppers, as well as the ideal blend of
ingredient quantities, is the reason why this red pepper sauce has become legendary and
beloved. The peppers are aged to perfection before being used to make this spicy and addictive
condiment. But if you want to experiment, take a break from the original sauce and try
one of their other sauces too, such as Green Jalapeno Sauce, which is perfect for Mexican
recipes and dips. Another option is Chipotle Pepper Sauce, which is renowned for its smoky
taste - it's an ideal choice for barbecues. Other choices to enjoy include Buffalo Style
Hot Sauce, which is perfect for sandwiches or wings, and Habanero Pepper Sauce, which
is the hottest, spiciest option in the Tabasco collection. The Habanero sauce is a Jamaica-type
hot sauce with fruity elements. If you're into Garlic, go for the Garlic Pepper Sauce,
which is made from a trio of peppers and premium garlic. If you love complex flavor profiles,
opt for the Sweet & Spicy Sauce, which offers perfect balance. This sauce is designed for
dipping. The last choice is Sriracha Sauce, which offers decadent garlic flavor, along
with zero preservatives. As you can see, this brand has you covered. There is a pepper sauce
for everyone. But the key ingredient to all of these sauces is carefully-selected, quality
products.
Only Some of the Tobasco Chilis Are Grown in Louisiana
There's a chili pepper field right on Avery Island, which is owned by the Tabasco company.
Some of the company's Tabasco peppers are grown onsite, while others come from other
places. Demand for Tabasco products is high, so the company needs to source out red peppers
from an array of global locations. That being said, there's always the chance that the Tabasco
peppers in your latest bottle of Tabasco hot sauce come straight from the American South.
During the Sixties, the need for more peppers than the Avery Island fields could produce
led to an operational change at Tabasco. The company couldn't meet demand by growing the
peppers only on Avery Island, which measures about three miles across. So, company execs
decided to ship the pepper seeds to Latin America, where they own farms. Of what’s
still grown on Avery Island, some of them are utilized for research and development
purposes. The company once tried to add more automation to the pepper picking method, to
speed up the pace of harvesting, but no machine could assess the ideal shade of red for ripe
peppers. This is why these delicious and spicy peppers are still picked by hand, utilizing
the batons rouges.
Tobasco Keeps The Chili Seeds in a Bank Vault
Genuine Tabasco pepper seeds are precious, and this is why the powers-that-be at the
Tabasco company keep their red pepper seeds locked up in a bank vault. The team at McIlhenny
Co. are serious about protecting their seeds from natural disasters. After Hurricane Katrina,
the company takes no chances when it comes to keeping its supply of these seeds safe
and sound. Every year, the company harvests the most impressive plants, dries their seeds
and uses them as the foundation for the following year's crop. After the seeds are dried, they
are divided. Half of them go to one location for secure storage. The others go to a vault.
We don't know where the vault is. We're not supposed to know. It is top secret information.
Most people don't realize that these seeds are so important. They are the backbone of
a very successful hot sauce company with a rich heritage. Without these seeds, the hot
sauce produced by McIlhenny Co. might not taste the way that it should, and everyone
knows how genuine Original Red Pepper Sauce from Tabasco is supposed to taste.
Salty Avery Island
Tourists love visiting Avery Island and seeing the Tabasco team produce the pretty red bottles
of hot sauce. This company has always been based in Avery Island, Louisiana. One fun
fact about Avery Island is that it's a "salt dome". The Tabasco company uses salt from
Avery Island in its hot sauces and this is yet another reason why Tabasco hot sauce is
different from so many other pepper sauce brands. Avery Island is situated in the Iberia
Parish of Louisiana. It's within a few miles of Vermilion Bay, which leads into the Gulf
of Mexico. The population of Avery Island is small. We're talking 150 people small.
That's the same number as the number of years that the company has been in business. In
2018, Tabasco hit the 150-year mark. That's an important milestone for the company, and
for Avery Island.
Tabasco is a Great Add-on for Fried Chicken
Some foods pair so well with Tabasco sauce. One of them is fried chicken. If you want
to add some spicy kick to your next batch of homemade, Southern-fried chicken, be sure
to use a recipe that comes straight from Tabasco. Combine a teaspoon of salt, a quarter of a
cup of original Tabasco sauce and three cups of buttermilk in a big bowl, add raw chicken,
and cover it to chill in the fridge for six to twenty-four hours. After, dredge the chicken
in a mixture of two cups of flour, a teaspoon of garlic powder, half a teaspoon of onion
powder and a quarter-teaspoon of black pepper. And now it’s time to fry up the poultry,
batch-style. After the chicken is fried, move it to a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath. You
won’t regret this delicious dish.
Tabasco Sauce is Perfect For Fish, Too
Adding a single tablespoon of Tabasco sauce to your fave fish recipe will be such an easy
way to boost spiciness. Tabasco is a convenient product. It can be used in so many ways. Add
it as a marinade for fish, use it to make spicy salsa that tops a fish filet or simply
sprinkle some of the hot sauce on top of baked fish. The only limitation is your own imagination.
The official Tabasco website features tons of amazing fish recipes, as well as recipes
in other categories. Everyone has their own preference when it comes to a heat level for
hot sauce. If you prefer milder taste, add half a teaspoon of hot sauce, instead of a
whole teaspoon. If you love spicy food, go for a teaspoon or more. Experimenting with
Tabasco sauce is fun and a lot of people don't realize how well it pairs with seafood. Whipping
up a classic gumbo, which contains seafood and meat, will be a great way to use Tabasco
sauce. Gumbo is the type of traditional Louisiana recipe that honors the Tabasco brand's Southern
roots.
Other Tabasco Chilis are Grown in Africa
We already mentioned the fact that the company couldn't grow enough peppers to meet demand
in Avery Island, and then sent seeds to Latin America. However, we didn't mention the fact
that Tabasco peppers are also grown in other locations. One of them is Zimbabwe, Africa.
The seeds for pepper plants always come from Avery Island, no matter where they are grown.
Aside from Zimbabwe, you'll find Tabasco chili pepper fields in Zambia, Peru, Honduras, Mexico,
South Africa, Mozambique, Columbia, Guatemala, and Ecuador. But no matter where they’re
grown, workers always hand-pick the peppers. It's an old-fashioned system that endures
because it really works.
The Hottest Hot Sauce Gets Physical
The hottest hot sauce in the Tabasco lineup probably won't cause a physical reaction,
unless you really overdo it. Habanero Pepper Sauce is the spiciest sauce from the McIlhenny
Co., but it's not the hottest hot sauce in the world. That being said, some people may
definitely react to it. Some of us have lower hot sauce tolerances than others. To find
out why hot sauce causes physical reactions, we headed for the Scientific American website.
Apparently, spicy foods stimulate skin receptors which typically are responsive to heat. The
receptors function as pain fibers. These receptors are responsive to heat and cold extremes,
as well as stimulation that's mechanical, such as cutting and pinching. Chili peppers
stimulate the pain fibers and trick the body's central nervous system. Typical symptoms of
hot sauce overload include flushing and sweating. Some people enjoy the stimulation that very
hot hot sauce brings. They like to feel the burn. Others find it unpleasant. They are
the types of people who buy mild salsa. If you prefer hotter food, you're the type of
customer that McIlhenny Co. wants. But don’t fear, the company does attempt to cater to
everyone, by offering hot sauces with different heat levels.
You Can Tour the Tabasco Factory and Onsite Museum
Louisiana is a great place for a vacation. If you plan to be in the state, be sure to
visit Avery Island and enjoy one of Lousiana's premier tourist experiences. On Avery Island,
you'll be able to tour the Tabasco factory and its onsite museum. The Island is also
home to an animal and bird refuge, which you may also visit. While touring the factory
and wildlife preserve won't be free, it will be very cheap. Seeing all of the Tabasco-related
attractions on the island shouldn't set you back more than twelve dollars and fifty cents.
You may check out the factory for just five dollars and fifty cents. Of course, there's
other amazing stuff to do in Louisiana, after you sample hot sauce recipes at Tabasco and
check out the factory, museum, and country store merchandise. Visiting New Orleans will
be a smart choice. You'll love the city's French Quarter, as well as its jazz, it's
gorgeous St. Louis Cathedral and its fascinating National WWII Museum. Now that you know so
many untold truths about Tabasco, you may be tempted to plan a trip to Avery Island.
The factory tour is popular because it's fun. For spicy food fans, visiting this factory
is like being a kid in a candy store. Tabasco continues to sell because people love it.
They know that the quality is consistent and that it’s a key player in Americana culture.
Easy to use in recipes, and simple to sprinkle on top of almost everything, it's a condiment
that is also low in calories. One hundred milligrams of Tabasco has just twelve calories.
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