15 hours Ago By Jon Coates
Sales of hot sauces have soared in the past year – and it’s all down to Sriracha. Made from deep-fermented chilli peppers, distilled vinegar, pickled garlic, sugar and salt, it can be used both for cooking and dipping. And retail experts say it has helped introduce younger diners to hot sauces, which has been dubbed the “Sriracha Effect”.
A supermarket giant has reported an almost 20% rise in demand for them, with an extra 2.5 million bottles sold in the last 12 months alone. And Tesco has also seen a 65% rise in sales of Sriracha, which originates in the Thai seaside town which gives it its name.
Red-hot demand for the savoury chili sauce with sweet undertones has been linked to the nation’s growing appetite for Far Eastern cuisine including ramen and pho soup, stir fries and rice dishes. Annika Johnston, Tesco condiments buying manager, said: “Sriracha has been a real game-changer in how it has introduced more people to hot sauces than ever before. Mainstream sales really started to take off about three years ago and in the last year we have seen demand grow spectacularly.
“And it’s had a real knock-on effect on the entire hot sauce industry – something we call ‘The Sriracha Effect’ – with shoppers now curious to try other hot sauces.” She added: “Hot sauces are now as much a part of our meal times as ketchup, mustard, brown sauce and mayo. Where once a bottle of any of those traditional condiments would suffice to liven up our food, now more of us are spicing meals up with hot chilli sauces.
” The nation’s love affair with spicy food began in the 1970s with the explosion in popularity of Indian and Chinese food. But with Thai and Mexican food now hugely popular, chilli sauces have become a mainstay of our dinner tables. Ms Johnston said: “It seems with every passing decade our taste buds get more acclimatised to the ever hotter food that becomes part of our national cuisine.
” One of the UK’s fastest growing condiments brands is Dr Will’s, which started up eight years ago and has recently added a Sriracha Mayo alternative to its long-standing Sriracha Hot Sauce. Liam White, co-founder of the brand, said: “Hot sauce is the fastest growing subcategory in the UK condiment market – and within hot sauce, the fastest growing flavour style is Sriracha. “Hot sauce is like the craft beer of condiments – people want variety, different chillies, different levels of heat, different flavour profiles.
It’s common for a single shopper to have three or more variants in their fridge.” Tesco has a four for three offer on all table sauces running from now until May 13..
