The World's Best Spicy Condiments

What's peanut butter without jelly? What are hot dogs without mustard? What's tuna without mayo? What's yin without yang? While condiments may seem like bit players in the world of foodies, they are often the essential element that makes or breaks a specific dish or an entire cuisine. I particularly enjoy the spiciest of condiments. Most contain chili peppers, their degrees of "hotness" famously measured by the Scoville scale, developed by American chemist Wilbur Scoville in 1912.

These spicy condiments' places of origin are as diverse as their flavors. They come from Jamaica, Louisiana, Vietnam, and Seoul. The following is a selection of some of my favorite hot sauces:

Tabasco

According to the Tabasco website, banker Edmund McIlhenny planted his first hot pepper seeds right after the Civil War on his Avery Island, Louisiana estate. McIlhenny was given the seeds from Mexico or Central America by a banker friend who had been growing pepper before the war. McIlhenny began experimenting with the peppers to make a sauce. When he had the right mix, he began selling his Tabasco sauce in used perfume bottles; thus, the current bottle's unusual shape. Although the sauce is marketed all over the world, it's still made at the McIlhenny family estate on Avery Island. Also not that half the company's 200 employees live on the island.

Frank's Red Hot Sauce

Frank's is my personal favorite Louisiana hot sauce. It was created in 1920 by New Iberia, Louisiana pepper farmer Adam Estilette and Ohio spice merchant Jacob Frank. In 1964, Frank's Red Hot Sauce was used as a secret ingredient for the Anchor Bar's world famous Buffalo chicken wings. Note that Frank's now markets a Buffalo wings mix.

Jamaican Jerk Sauce

Jerk is an essential part of Jamaican island cooking. It's one of the world's hottest sauces and one of my favorites. While it's a mix of spices, the two main ingredients are allspice (from the Jamaican pimento plant) and Scotch Bonnet peppers, rated as one of the hottest hot peppers on the Scoville scale. There are many brands of jerk sauce. My personal favorite is Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk Seasonings.

Sriracha

Sriracha hot sauce

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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