What is hot sauce?

Who invented hot sauce, you ask? Unsurprisingly, the history of hot sauce traces back to the only place where chilies naturally occur—Central America. More specifically— the Aztecs. Chilli is believed to be one of the earliest plants cultivated by humans and archaeologists have found evidence of its use by the Aztecs as far back as 7000 BC. The first hot sauce in the world, most likely, consisted of ground-up chilies mixed with water and herbs. The Aztecs used it to enhance the flavor of their food, for medicinal purposes, to pay taxes, give tributes, and even as a weapon or punishment. So, if you’ve wondered whether hot sauce ever killed anyone, the answer may be yes.

The Introduction of Scoville 🌶️

By 1912, hot sauce was so widespread that a system was developed to keep track of spice levels. So, if you’ve ever wondered how they measure heat? The answer is Scoville. Wilbur Scoville invented the scale while in search of a heat-producing ointment. It was tested according to human taste buds and the idea was to dilute a spicy extract with water until it no longer tastes spicy. Every degree of dilution translates to a Scoville heat unit (SHU). For instance, 5000 cups of water dilute 1 cup of Tabasco sauce to the point of not being spicy at all. However, if “how hot is too hot?” doesn’t apply to you, try our African Ghost Pepper sauce. It’s a 10/10 on the heat scale and no amount of Scoville dilution can take down this flavor punch. Just kidding, hot sauce remedies have been around just as long as hot sauce itself. One of the oldest ways to cool down your mouth was a swig of alcohol. Guess we’re not that different from our forefathers, after all.

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