Essay On Hot Sauce

Valentina Salsa Picante is available in both an Original and an Extra Hot version. It is made in Guadalajara by Salsa Tamazula. The company started out by making Tamazula Hot Sauce prior to bringing Valentina Hot Sauce to market in 1954. In the years since it has become the best-selling hot sauce in Mexico and is a staple in many Mexican households and Mexican restaurants. In short, it is the Mexican equivalent of Tabasco. In order to understand how this sauce acquired its iconic status, it is important to look at what goes into it. The listed ingredients for Valentina Hot Sauce
Water
Chili peppers
Vinegar
Salt
Spices
Sodium benzoate The Peppers in Valentina Hot Sauce
In much the same way that the peppers in Tapatio hot sauce are listed as "red peppers," the peppers in Valentina Hot Sauce are listed simply as "chili peppers." In other words, the specific type of pepper is not identified. The most likely candidate is the chipotle pepper since this is a Mexican-style hot sauce. Chipotle is the most commonly used pepper in Mexican style hot sauces. Chipotle peppers are dried and smoked jalapenos, which means that they are relatively mild and measure in the 5,000 to 10,000 Scoville Heat Unit range. The sauce itself is much milder and has been measured at somewhere between 100 and 1,000 SHUs. …show more content…
Water can be used to dilute the hot sauce to make it mild enough for the average consumer. Water is also important for keeping the hot sauce pourable. While a little thicker than Louisiana-style sauces, Valentina and other Mexican hot sauces are still thin enough to pour. After the chilies and the water, the next ingredient is vinegar. Mexican-style hot sauces have less vinegar when compared to those made in the Louisiana style and Valentina is no exception. The tang is noticeably less than that of Texas Pete and similar sauces, but it is still