A Little Dash of Heat Called Tabasco

Cinzia Cuneo 12 marzo, 2011 ricette

Everyone has heard of Tabasco sauce, that spicy, liquid sauce made from vinegar, salt and red peppers that are aged in barrels till they ferment. It is used in cooking – albeit sparingly – to enhance the taste of many dishes as well as in the preparation of several cocktails.

But few of us are aware of the history of this product that is still being made today at Avery Island in Louisiana, at the same place where the inventor Edmund McIlhenny concocted it from Tabasco peppers (Capsicum frutescens from the Mexican state of Tabasco). In the beginning, the McIlhenny family made this sauce uniquely for personal use and stored it in recycled cologne bottles. Following its success among family and friends, McIlhenny decided to commercially distribute it in 1868.

Five generations later, the family of the inventor still owns the Tabasco brand name. Over time, several other varieties were added to it: a Jalapeno based green sauce, another one based on Chipotle peppers, a sweet-spicy flavoured sauce as well as one with garlic. As many as 720,000 bottles of 57ml each are produced daily on Avery Island. The original sauce has a shelf life of five years when stored in a cool and dry place.

Some of our recipes that feature Tabasco sauce:

Avocado with Shrimp

Avocado with Shrimp

See the recipe >>

Chicken Breast in a Tuna Sauce

Chicken Breast in a Tuna Sauce

See the recipe >>

Filet Mignon with a Creamy Paprika Sauce

Filet Mignon with a Creamy Paprika Sauce

Creamy Cucumber & Dill Salad

Creamy Cucumber & Dill Salad

See the recipe >>

Salmon Tartare

Salmon Tartare

Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on March 12, 2011.

Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.