Hot Sauce, Pepper, and Gourmet.

In 1912, Wilbur Scoville set out to measure the “heat” or piquancy of the chili pepper by determining the degree of dilution when the main chemical compound of the chili pepper (capsaicin) is diluted in sugar water. The Scoville scale is at its highest at16,000,000 Scoville Heating Units (SHU) and at its lowest 100-500 (SHU). Popular chili peppers land on the scale as follows:

• Pure capsaicin compound: 15,000,000-16,000,000 (SHU)
• Red Savina Habanera: 350,000-580,000 (SHU)
• Habanera Chili: 100,000-350,000 (SHU)
• Thai Pepper: 50,000-100,000 (SHU)
• Cayenne and Tabasco pepper: 30,000-50,000 (SHU)
• Jalapeno Pepper: 2,500-2,800 (SHU)
• Pimento and Pepperoncini: 100-500 (SHU)
• Bell Pepper: 0 (no heat)

While this system is not entirely accurate and has fallen victim to scrutiny in the past years, it is still a common way in which to recognize the spiciness of sauces in the industry and from household to household.

Finding a sauce, however, is entirely up to the individual’s tastes and cuisine goals. While people can certainly build a tolerance to spice, there will simply always be some sauces that are “too hot,” specifically insanity hot sauces or those using hot pepper extracts might not only burn the mouth but cause allergic reactions and overwhelm the rest of the meal. Milder sauces can always be made by introducing a small portion of butter to the sauce to taste. However, to go spicier one must find a spicier sauce created from a spicier chili pepper.

Sauces like Sriracha hot sauce and Louisiana hot sauce are often used to drizzle over a variety of American-style dishes and appetizers, such as hot dogs, scrambled eggs, and French fries. They are not necessarily used for just Cajun or Mexican cooking or Southern BBQ, like some chili pepper and chipotle sauces. Hot sauces can also be added to soups and casseroles as well as desserts and even alcoholic beverages. Use of red hot sauce and other hot sauces is becoming more mainstream as Southwestern, Southern American, and Caribbean influences continue spreading throughout the United States. Sauces originated from Thailand and other Asian countries have also found their way into the mouths and hearts of Americans and around the world.

Hot sauces are also renowned for improving health as the main compound capsaicin has a variety of health benefits such as:

• Improving circulating
• Stimulating digestion
• Decreasing cholesterol
• Decreasing congestion
• Decreasing inflammation

Additionally, capsaicin has recently been linked to a leading ingredient in cancer and heart disease medications.

When it comes to finding a great gift or souvenir, hot sauce gift sets and baskets are all the rage. Available usually in a wide range of flavors and styles, these specialty and gourmet hot sauces provide new insight to what sauce and hot sauce companies are capable of. Some gourmet chili pepper sauces add mangoes and raspberries or carrots and squash to a hot sauce to create complexity and intrigue. Other sauces are manufactured by actors and celebrities; while some specialty sauces feature car and motorcycle companies as well as famous TV shows and movies and famous locations.

Finding the right hot sauce make take some time, but of the wide range of peppers, mixtures, textures and bottle designs, there are plenty to choose from and collect.