Hot Sauce Fun Fact - Taco Tuesday Version  

You drizzle it on your tacos, but do you really know the history of hot sauce?

Surprisingly, its first appearances trace back to the ancient Aztecs in Mexico. They began cultivating chilis as early as 7000 BC, and hot sauce has been a key component of Mexican cuisine and culture ever since. 

But there is more to the world of hot sauce than meets the eye. There are countless chili varieties behind each unique hot sauce recipe to choose from, cooking methods, ingredients, and heat levels.

While it’s true that hot sauce has been used for thousands of years, European settlers had a part in the popularity of hot sauce, introducing new ingredients and spices into the mix. As buzz about the condiment grew, hot sauce chefs focused on specific, desirable flavors, experimenting, and breeding different peppers.