Hot sauce sales are hot and getting hotter. According to Fortune Business Insights, the hot sauce market is expected to exceed $3.7 billion by 2026. And Louisiana is at the root of pepper sauce popularity.
WWL-TV Chef Kevin Belton says hot sauce likely originated in the warm Caribbean islands where peppers were grown. But, Louisiana peppers, like tabasco, have become the most popular.
"Personally, I think we have the best hot sauces there are, because all of our hot sauces...yeah if you use enough of them, there's a lot of heat there. But, the most important thing is, our hot sauces have a lot of flavor."
And, he says no one in the world cooks for flavor more than folks from Louisiana.
"The great thing about Louisiana hot sauce is...most of our hot sauces are vinegar-based hot sauces," says Belton. "Tabasco is probably one of the most well-known, all around the world."
"Everyone has their local cuisine. And I think they're starting to realize that hot sauce can be used, not only for heat but to use for flavor, as well."
Belton notes that there are hundreds of varieties and brands of hot sauce, many with crazy names, striving to make the sauces hotter and hotter. He thinks that's a mistake.
"I think people are looking at hot sauces to make it hot, whereas, in Louisiana, we use it, not just to make it hot, but to cook and season our food with."
So, our hot sauces serve to season more than sizzle, to please the tease buds with flavor rather than burn them with fire.
And, as various international cuisines and authentic dishes from around the world embrace spicy sauces, it's still a down-home Louisiana hot sauce leading the pack.
