Tabasco is the brand name for a hot pepper sauce that is a well-known
table condiment. It is made from red peppers (Capsicum frutescens),
vinegar, water, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels. There are many
other kinds of "hot pepper sauce" on the market, most of them similar
to Tabasco, but Tabasco is by far the most famous. Although it is produced
in Louisiana, it is named after the Tabasco River and Tabasco State
of Mexico. The original variety measures 2,500 to 5,000 su on the Scoville
scale. There are now five varieties. The garlic variety also includes
the Tabasco pepper.
Green Pepper, Pepper and
Garlic Tabasco.
It has a hot, spicy flavor and is popular in many parts of the world:
it is sold in more than 110 countries and packaged in 19 different languages.
More than 150 million bottles are sold each year, half of those in the
United States. These range in size from the common two-ounce and five-ounce
(60 and 150 mL) bottles available in most grocery stores, up to a one
US gallon (4 L) jug for food service businesses, and down to a miniature
bottle (which rural Louisianians often carry in their shirt pocket at
lunch time, "just in case"). In Japan and parts of Ontario, Canada,
Tabasco sauce is popular on pizza. Also, in parts of the southeastern
US it is used to "spice up" pancakes.
Tabasco has been produced by the McIlhenny Company of Avery Island,
Louisiana, since 1868, holding the second-oldest U.S. food patent. Several
new types of sauces are now produced under the name Tabasco Sauce, including
green pepper, chipotle, Habanero, and garlic sauces. In addition, the
company has cashed in on its brand name by licensing the production
of branded merchandise, including neckties, hand towels, golf shirts,
posters and Bloody Mary mix.
The peppers used are a spicy cultivar of Capsicum frutescens and
are grown on Avery Island. Another cultivar commonly called the "Tabasco
pepper" is grown there as well, which is used in the garlic variety
of the sauce.
The word habanero is sometimes spelled (incorrectly) as "habaņero",
probably via association with jalapeņo.
Tabasco sauce has a shelf life of 5 years when stored in a cool and
dry place.
This article is licensed under the .
It uses material from the .