How Sriracha was created 90 years ago and why the US today is going crazy trying to find it
There's been a shortage in the supply of Sriracha hot sauce and here's why. Photo:DailyO
There is a worldwide shortage in the supply of the spicy yet delicious hot sauce, Sriracha. A bummer for Sriracha lovers, the prolonged Sriracha shortage has led to its prices to skyrocket and the hot sauce is now retailing for more than $100 (that's almost 8,200 in INR) a bottle. The popular condiment has vanished from store shelves.
What
For all those around the world who like to make their meals delicious and spicy by adding a dash of the hot Sriracha sauce, have to be super mindful and judicious about using their existing reserves. The shortage in supply of this hot sauce that has made the popular condiment difficult to find on shelves and expensive.
Although Sriracha is mainly used as a dipping sauce and on food, it is sometimes added to drinks such as Bloody Mary.
So, why has Sriracha gone missing?
- The drought in Mexico has impacted the cultivation and harvesting of chili peppers, especially red jalapenos, which is the main ingredient in the Sriracha.
- On top of this, the depleting water supply in the Colorado river is another reason that has caused the scarcity of red jalapenos.
- It all circles back to the severe weather conditions and drought in Mexico (all because of climate crises).
A crop researcher at University of California, Davis, spoke about the depleting water supply, "But the supply of water has been decreasing and if you don’t have a certain minimum amount of water to irrigate your crops, unless there is rain, there won’t be a crop.”
Poor weather conditions are causing the crops to fail and so the chilies are being supplied in a limited manner.
Huy Fong Foods, the leading South California-based maker of Sriracha sauce used to sell 20 million bottles annually. However, in the past few years, they have experienced a shortage in red jalapeno chili peppers.
Also, since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, there's been an instability in the supplies for the hot sauce, reported CBS that spoke to Huy Fong Foods, "Unfortunately, we are still experiencing a shortage of raw material. At this time, we have no estimations of when supply will increase."
On online platforms such as eBay, Amazon and Craiglist, the bottles are now selling for anything between $60-$124 (Rs 5,000-Rs 9,000) in the US.
But where was Sriracha created?
- This bright red sauce is of Thai origin and is made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt.
- It was in 1930s that a Thai entrepreneur and cook named Thanom Chakkapak made this hot sauce in her kitchen and served it on fish and other dishes.
- Since the flavour was liked by many, Chakkapak was encouraged to sell and market this sauce commercially, and she named it 'Sriraja Panich' after her hometown of Si Racha in Thailand.
- Shortly after this, her sauce became the best-selling hot sauce in Thailand and she sold her company in 1984.
- Into the USA: The sauce made its way to the US in 1980s when a Vietnamese entrepreneur, David Tran, who was a big Sriraja Panich lover, immigrated to the US and created a thicker version of the sauce and called it "Rooster Sauce".
- David Tran founded Huy Fong Foods, the company that has been selling the red hot sauce bottles to restaurants and individual customers ever since.
This is how Sriracha is made
If you are a Sriracha lover in India, bottles are available online on Amazon though.
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