Hot Sauces

Hot sauces  and chili saucees  (also sometimes called pepper sauces ) come from all around the world, and each regional sauce has its own distinct flavor traits. Mexican versions  focus on flavor, in the United States we bring the heat, and Jamaican sauces  typically blend peppers with mangoes and papaya.  Common peppers used include habeñero, cayenne, jalapeno, chipotle (smoked peppers), and scotch bonnet, and to up the flavor, fruits and vegetables are often added: raspberries, mangoes, and squash.  Some sauces, like Tabasco , are aged like fine wine in wooden casks to add a unique flavor.  In this world, there is no absence of imagination, and producers are always looking for unique ways to raise the heat or create fun flavors.  

Recommended

Mild and Flavorful Ole Ray's Blackberry Wine BBQ Sauce  blends blackberries, tomatoes, brown sugar, lime juice, and hot peppers to create a condiment great for ribs, chicken, chops, and steaks.	Medium Heat Bayou Butt Burner  is a popular Louisiana Cajun Cayenne  sauce.  It is renowned for its great flavor and subtle heat.	Getting Hotter African Rhino Peri-Peri Sauce's  main ingredient is the Peri-Peri pepper from Africa.  It is the hottest pepper the continent has to offer, and this makes for a great accompaniment to meat and seafood.	Don't You Dare! Blair's 2 AM Reserve  is a a pure pepper extract ; therefore, only a drop should ever be used.  Hot sauces like these come with warning labels and disclaimers, and should only be tried by mature, healthy adults.

Popular Brands

• Valentina  is a popular Mexican sauce known for its flavor more than its spice.
• Tabasco  gets its unique taste from being aged in a wood barrel for three years.
• Pickapeppa  is a mellow Jamaican condiment.
• Grace's Hot Pepper Sauce 
• Marie Sharp's Hot Sauce 
• Dou Ban Sauce 

Cooling Off Remedies

Capsaicin is the chemical responsible for the "hot" sensation.  Since this chemical is fat-soluble, water has no impact on relieving the burning sensation, but here is a list of useful remedies.

• Dairy products, such as milk  and yogurt , are most effective at cooling the mouth because they are rich in fat and proteins that bind to capsaicin.
• Cottage cheese  is actually quite delicious with some peppers, hot sauce, and Italian dressing.  It's a great way to enhance the flavor of the peppers and cancel out the heat.
• Rice and bread work great to dull the heat as well.

Related Guides

Meat Guide	Cheese Guide	Food and Beverage Guides