Sriracha (/siːˈrɑːtʃə/see-RAH-chə or/sɪˈrɑːtʃə/si-RAH-chə;Thai:ศรีราชา,pronounced[srǐːrāːtɕʰāː]ⓘ) is a type ofhot sauce orchili sauce made from a paste ofchili peppers,distilled vinegar, pickledgarlic, sugar, and salt.[1] It was first produced in 1932 by a native ofSi Racha, a town and district ofThailand, though it may have been based on olderCantonese recipes.
InThailand, sriracha is frequently used as a dipping sauce, particularly for seafood and omelets.
InVietnamese cuisine, particularly in North America, sriracha appears as a condiment forphở andfried noodles, as a topping forspring rolls (chả giò), and in sauces.[2] InVietnam however, sriracha is not found in many restaurants and private homes, with a distinct chili sauce "tương ớt" being far more ubiquitous.[3]
Sriracha is also eaten in soup, on eggs and burgers. Jams, lollipops, and cocktails have all been made using the sauce,[4] and sriracha-flavored potato chips have been marketed.[5]
Sriracha chili sauce was officially born in 1932, the same year that marked theSiamese Revolution, transitioning Thailand into aconstitutional monarchy. That year, La-Orr Suwanprasop, a native ofSriracha who had settled in Bangkok, began producing and selling her own chili sauce. Her product won a gold medal in a competition during the Constitution Celebration. She attempted to register the brand under the name “Sriracha Chili Sauce” after her hometown, but the authorities denied her request, as it was the name of a district. Ultimately, she had to use the brand name “Gold Medals” instead. However, Gold Medals chili sauce remained a small-scale household industry with limited production capacity, which prevented it from gaining widespread recognition. Even today, The Gold Medals is still available on the market, retaining its original label design since 1932.
The internationally renowned Sriracha chili sauce is the “Sriracha Panich” brand, which was first sold in 1935. This recipe was created by Thanom Chakkapak, a native of Sriracha, who established a chili sauce factory inSi Racha,Chonburi Province.[6][7] Her sauce became a well-known local product. Later, in 1984, Thai Theparos Company acquired the business and its recipe, expanding distribution both domestically and internationally. The brand remains widely recognized around the world.
The Sriracha sauce itself may be an adaptation of a Cantonese garlic and chili sauce originally fromShunde,China. In the early 1900s,Cantonese immigrants settled in Si Racha, and their garlic and chili sauce was sold in Thailand for decades before the first bottles ofGold Medals andSriraja Panich were produced.[8]
In Thailand, the sauce is most often calledsot Siracha (Thai:ซอสศรีราชา) and sometimesnam phrik Siracha (Thai:น้ำพริกศรีราชา). Traditional Thai sriracha sauce tends to be tangier in taste, and runnier in texture than non-Thai versions.[9]
In aBon Appétit magazine interview, US Asian-foods distributor Eastland Food Corporation asserted that the Thai brand of hot sauceSriraja Panich, which Eastland distributes, is the original "sriracha sauce" and was created in Si Racha, Thailand, in the 1930s from the recipe of a housewife named Thanom Chakkapak.[9]
In the United States, sriracha is associated with ajalapeño-based sauce produced by Huy Fong Foods[10][11], which is sometimes referred to as "rooster sauce" or "cock sauce",[12] from the image of arooster featured on each bottle.[13] Other variations of sriracha have appeared in the U.S. market, including a sriracha that is aged in whiskey barrels.[14][15] The Huy Fong Foods sriracha was first produced in the early 1980s for serving at Americanphở restaurants.[11]
Various restaurants in the US, includingWendy's,[16]Applebee's,P.F. Chang's,[17]Jack in the Box,McDonald's,Subway,Taco Bell,White Castle,Gordon Biersch,Chick-fil-A,Firehouse Subs,Noodles & Company,Starbucks, andBurger King have incorporated sriracha into their dishes, sometimes mixing it withmayonnaise or into dipping sauces.[11][18][19][20][21][22] The word "sriracha" is considered ageneric term.[citation needed]
In 2022, Huy Fong Foods sriracha sauce temporarily halted production due to a shortage of chili peppers arising from a 2016 business dispute with Underwood Ranches, which claims Huy Fong Foods misled Underwood Ranches to invest in its expansion, and then breached its oral contract to purchase at their originally agreed upon price point. This caused the price to increase to $30 a bottle or higher.[23][24] The halt in production lasted for over a year,[23][25] but Huy Fong has failed to acquire a consistent supply of peppers at its desired quality point since the dispute.[23]
Roland Foods in New York makes its own variety, Sriracha Chili Sauce, in a similarly shaped yellow-capped bottle featuring two dragons instead of a rooster.Frito-Lay is testing a sriracha-flavored potato chip, andSubway is experimenting with a creamy sriracha sauce for sandwiches.
The Thais also make many versions of [sriracha] sauce... which tend to be more liquid and pourable than Huy Fong's. Sriraja Panich has a lovely balance of bright chili heat, delicate sweetness, vinegary tang, and garlicky backnote.
But like most obsessives, Erskine is fiercely loyal to 'rooster sauce' as some know the brand (in the US it is sometimes also called 'cock sauce').
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