Celebrate International Hot & Spicy Food Day this week with our selection of hot sauces, from local island originals to classic brands.
People have been using hot spices in meals for more than 6000 years, with Thai, Indian, Creole, Mexican, and Caribbean dishes known for their spicy kick. Amazingly, it took until 1912 for Wilbur Scoville to develop the Scoville Scale, which remains a standard for gauging spiciness today.
We carry 9 brands of hot sauce — two from Vancouver Island — in aisle #1:
- Vortex Spice (local) has a line of Kyle’s hot sauces, of which we carry 4 flavours
- Island Chef (local) line of 5 flavours: California reaper, pineapple express, west coast classic, serrano salsa verde, and sriracha sauce
- Los Tacos Diablo Mexican-style hot sauce, made in Vancouver
- Cholula Mexican-style line: sweet habenero, chilli lime, chipotle, extra hot, and original
- Louisiana Brand original hot sauce in small 177ml and large 946ml sizes
- Try Me brand Cajun Sunshine hot pepper sauce, Yucatan Sunshine habanero pepper sauce, and Original Tiger Sauce
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce in Buffalo, General Tao, and mild variations
- Tabasco classic red pepper sauce and chipotle pepper sauce
- Tuong Sriracha hot chilli sauce — yes, the classic with rooster label!