Chili sauce
A chilli sauce is a spicy seasoning sauce that is made from chilli peppers and other ingredients such as different fruits and vegetables , vinegar and spices . In addition to changing the degree of spiciness, chili sauce is also used to change the actual taste of a dish. Chili sauces can be made by cooking , fermentation , but also by using only raw ingredients.
Chilli sauces are divided into different degrees of spiciness and consistencies, depending on the type of chilli used and the type of manufacturing process .
The improper use of sharper variations can lead to severe irritation of the skin and eyes. Furthermore, consumption can lead to circulatory collapse or kidney failure.
Traditional chilli sauces
After the worldwide distribution of the chilli by the Portuguese after the 16th century and the hot herb established itself in more and more local kitchens, the production of seasoning sauces began on this basis. A large number of different production methods have emerged, which differ greatly in terms of both taste and use.
Salsa
In Mexican cuisine, salsa is a group of spicy sauces that are made on the basis of tomatoes and / or tomatillos together with chillies. Lime juice is often used as an acidulant. While most salsas are cooked, the very popular pico de gallo is an exception, where the ingredients are mixed together raw and served fresh.
mole
Another type of seasoning sauce used in Mexican cuisine is grouped under the term mole . The best known representatives are guacamole and mole poblano . Often these sauces are less spicy than salsas, and some of them - such as guacamole - can also be made without using chillies.
Ajvar and Harissa
Ajvar is a mild to medium-spicy paprika spice paste from Southeastern Europe , which is traditionally made only from paprika, oil, salt and pepper. It is used as an accompaniment to meat or as a spread. Harissa is a similar spice paste that comes from North Africa and is also widely used in Europe . In addition to the chili peppers and salt, other ingredients such as garlic , cumin or coriander seeds are usually added.
Sriracha
The Sriracha sauce is originally a Thai chili sauce, which has a high chili content and also contains vinegar , garlic , sugar and table salt . Today it is widely used as a condiment in many kitchens and is often used as a dip for seafood.
Ají
Ají is a South American seasoning sauce based on Ají chili peppers and tree tomatoes , which comes in many variations on the table.
Commercial chilli sauces
Natural chilli sauces
Particularly hot natural chilli sauces are mostly made from the Capsicum chinense species (e.g. Habanero , Bhut Jolokia , ..), which can be extremely hot even without artificially produced capsaicin extracts. Vinegar or citric acid is often used as a preservative . Depending on the chilli used and the concentration, the heat is usually between ~ 5,000 and max. 100,000 Scoville.
There are also milder natural chilli sauces such. B. from Jalapeño , which are often only about 500–1000 Scoville hot. Various spicy sauces are also sold under the name “Chili Sauce”, the chili content of which is extremely low at 1–2%. On these products, in addition to the spiciness specification, the chilli variety used is usually missing on the label .
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce is a hot chilli sauce based on Tabasco chillies , which has been produced by McIlhenny Co. since 1868 . The original Tabasco sauce is called Tabasco Pepper Sauce , but the Tabasco product range now also includes other sauces, such as the milder Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce made from green jalapeño chilis, Tabasco Garlic Pepper Sauce with garlic , or the Tabasco Habanero from the hotter ones Habanero chillies. The company is based on Avery Island , Louisiana . The name Tabasco is a registered trademark ; it is derived from the state of the same name in Mexico and in the language of the indigenous people there is said to mean "land in which the earth is hot and humid" .
Valentina sauce
Valentina is a Mexican chili sauce that is made in Guadalajara . It is widespread in Mexico and is available in virtually every restaurant and takeaway. There are two variants of the sauce: a milder one with a yellow label and a sharper one with a black label.
Asian chilli sauces
There are numerous commercial chilli sauces of Asian, mostly Thai origin. Often they are based on chilies, vinegar, sugar and garlic. For the most part, chillies of the “Thai Red” / “Phrik Khi Nu” ( พริก ขี้หนู - [ pʰrík-kʰîː-nǔː ], literally mouse droppings chilli , Capsicum frutescens ) are used, as they are still quite hot even when mixed in less . Dried pods of this very common type have between 60,000 and 80,000 Scoville units. Typical Asian sauces, however, rarely have a heat of more than 5,000 Scoville and are thus on a par with Tabasco.
Extract sauces
In the past few years several products made from concentrates have come onto the market in German-speaking countries. In a special process, the alcohol solubility of capsaicin is used to increase the heat to otherwise unattainable levels of several million Scoville . From a heat of 100,000 Scoville you have to assume an extract sauce even if the list of ingredients is not clearly declared, as even a liquid sauce from Bhut Jolokia does not exceed this limit. Extracts have a bitter aftertaste, which is only noticeable when you get used to the extreme heat. The information about the spiciness of sauces is often doubted because the manufacturers only know the capsaicin content of the extract and only estimate the heat of the natural chilli . Some manufacturers deliberately used misleading descriptions such as "made from 5 million Scoville extract " in order to simulate a higher degree of heat .
Some of the most important extract sauces are:
The first commercially available sauce that used capsaicin extract to add heat . The manufacturer himself does not give any information about the spiciness of the sauce, it is estimated at around 180,000 Scoville.
- Vicious Viper
A hot sauce very popular in Germany with around 250,000 Scoville. The recipe was developed in Germany and later sold to the American manufacturer CaJohn.
- Blair's Death series
Under various product names such as “Mega Death”, “Jersey Death”, the American manufacturer “Blair's” offers numerous extract sauces that are distributed worldwide.
- The Source
One of the hottest sauces in the world. With 7.1 million Scoville it can only be consumed in a very diluted form.
Safe handling
When handling chilli sauces, certain precautionary measures should be taken to avoid skin and especially eye contact. The easiest way is to wear gloves when handling sauces beyond 5,000 Scoville. Even simple skin contact with extract sauces can lead to painful reddening of the skin that lasts for days. Since capsaicin is not water-soluble, washing your hands is only of limited help against the distribution of the active ingredient. There may also be residues on the bottles that can be enough to cause painful irritation to the eyes and other mucous membranes .
Extract sauces in particular should be stored in such a way that they cannot be reached by children. Some retailers / manufacturers only sell these sauces voluntarily to buyers over the age of 18.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Sharp test of courage Chili con Alarme , January 20, 2010, sueddeutsche.de .
- ↑ Scoville Scale at www.chilliworld.com
- ↑ gofeminin.de GmbH, 51149 Koeln, Germany: Spicy, spicy , chili: Is spicy food unhealthy? - Onmeda.de . In: onmeda.de . October 12, 2017 ( onmeda.de [accessed August 22, 2018]).