Hotter Sauce: For Those Who Love All Things Spicy!

There are cultures where the use of a hotter sauce is a fundamental part of their gastronomy, such as Mexican and Asian food. When we talk about "spicy food" we generally refer to hot spices that come from peppers. Yet, we can also find spicy ingredients in roots, grains, and sprouts. But what does spicy mean and what is its origin? Read on to find out.

Most people know how to recognize spicy food, but very few can explain exactly how it is produced or by what effect. The spicy flavor is the sharp burning sensation produced by horticultural products such as hot peppers and onions, captured by the sense of taste in contact with some substances. In pepper, the heat is caused by capsaicin. What does that mean?

Capsaicin is an oleoresin, the active component of hot peppers (capsicum), which produces a strong burning sensation in the mouth. Capsaicin and related substances are called capsaicinoids and are produced as a secondary metabolite in several plant species of the genus Capsicum. It has anticancer agents and antioxidants. It prevents the formation of blood clots. So why not start to spice up your life?

Continue reading until the end to find out the answer to the following questions:

● Hotter sauce: what does it taste like?

● Hotter sauce in Mexican cuisine

● Hotter in Thai cuisine

● Shop for the best hotter sauce at We Olive

Hotter sauce: what does it taste like?

Every time we try any type of food, the tongue is capable of noticing five basic flavors:

• sweet
• salty
• bitter
• acid
• umami

The moment food comes into contact with the tongue, receptors on the surface of the taste buds are activated. These receptors activate nerve fibers that send a signal to the brain and whose response generates the experience of tasting anything. So we can taste and distinguish the taste of avocado oil vs olive oil or sour lemon ice cream or bitter coffee.

Beyond the basic flavors, the tongue is capable of noticing other types of sensations such as cold or burning, the latter produced by capsaicin, the molecule that gives hot peppers their characteristic flavor and that we can taste in a hotter sauce as you can find at any of our olive oil stores near me.

Hotter sauce in Mexican cuisine

The presence of hotter sauce in Mexican culture is quite common. Its use is evident not only in Mexican culture but also in Mesoamerican cultures for thousands of years and it is possible that the use of different types of peppers or “chiles” dates back to ancient times. Various groups that inhabited the land had a way of subsistence based on hunting-gathering and were nomadic.

A large part of pepper species is found in South America, where it is estimated that this genus of plants originated. Some botanists believe that the place of origin of the “chile” is in the Andean region, while others speculate that it originated in the southeast of Brazil, due to the great diversity of Capsicum species that exists in these two regions.

Probably, this plant has been dispersed in other regions by birds that, attracted by the red fruits, eat even the hottest ones, and then throw the seeds to other places, thus explaining how the hot peppers or “chile” would have come to be in Central America as a wild plant thousands of years ago.

Naturally, this ingredient was essential for the ancient Mexican civilizations. In the cities of Teotihuacán, Tula, and Monte Alban, for example, traces of widespread consumption of chile have been found among its inhabitants.

The use of spiciness in Mexican cuisine is what makes it stand out compared to other diets and cuisines in the world where the use of ingredients such as EVOO, or oliveoil and fig are perhaps the most common as in the Mediterranean diet.

Hotter sauce in Thai cuisine

Thai cuisine is well known for being very spicy, and also for maintaining a balance in the use of the five flavors in practically all its dishes: hot, sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. What are some unique and must-try spicy dishes in Thai cuisine?

There is a Thai dish called Nam Prik, which refers to a type of hotter sauce. Each region has its version. It is prepared by pounding various peppers with various ingredients such as garlic or shrimp sauce in a mortar. It is often served with vegetables such as lightly cooked cucumber, cabbage, or beans and green beans. The vegetables are seasoned with a sauce and eaten with rice.

The ingredient found in most Thai dishes in all regions of the country is nam pla, a fish sauce with a strong and aromatic flavor. Prawn sauce, a combination of ground shrimp and salt, is also widely used. In our We Olive store near me section, you can get a spicy sauce that has jalapeño pepper as one of its main ingredients, ideal for lovers of spicy food.

In addition to spicy ingredients, dishes from the central and northern regions of Thailand use a wide variety of edible leaves that are rarely found in Western countries, such as certain lime leaves that are used in almost all soups and curries in those regions. It is common to combine these leaves with garlic, ginger, and lemon.

Shop for the best hotter at We Olive!

Numerous people and foodies have become lovers of spicy flavor in all its formats, whether natural, powdered, spicy, or any other form of presentation. At We Olive’s online olive oil store you can find handcrafted products of the highest quality made to enjoy an excellent gastronomic experience including EVOO, aged balsamic vinegar, and gourmet products.

At We Olive, we have created an addictive black truff hotter sauce. It is a rich mixture of jalapeño peppers to delight your palate. But if you're still not sure you want to try something that spicy, you can start by trying the original truff hot sauce.

Would you like to try other superior tastes? Visit our section of olive oil stores near me to taste our delicious and organic products made by the best producers in California. Shop now or call us at 805 238 2900 or email us at info@weolive.com for special orders.