Sriracha Shortage Has Sauce Lovers in Despair
If you've noticed the supply of your favorite sriracha sauce getting low at your local grocer, there's a reason...and it could get worse.
Huy Fong Foods
"Sriracha" is actually a general term for any sauce that is made with the ingredients that you're used to. You can trace its origins back to Thailand, and is defined as "a spicy sauce made with red chili peppers and garlic, served especially with Vietnamese and Thai cuisine."
However, when you think of sriracha sauce, you're probably thinking of one brand in particular. Sriracha has become synonymous with Huy Fong Foods version of the sauce. Huy Fong Foods is the company started by Vietnam refugee David Tran in California back in 1980.
You might even call it "Rooster Sauce" due to the picture of the proud poultry on the bottle, topped with the signature green spout.
As of 2013, Huy Fong produced a whopping 20 million bottles of their sriracha hot sauce each year! Tran says that's a number that would be even higher if the company had the resources necessary to meet its demand. There are a few things that limit the amount that his company can produce.
Why is There a Sriracha Shortage?
One of those things are the signature hybrid jalapeño peppers that give the sauce its kick. It's those peppers that are at the center of the current issue.
According to Insider, Huy Fong sent a letter to retailers in April warning a drought in Mexico had created a severe shortage of the peppers it relies on to make sriracha and other products, saying any orders placed after the 19th of that month won’t be fulfilled until after Labor Day.
"Unfortunately, this is out of our control and without this essential ingredient we are unable to produce any of our products (Chili Garlic, Sambal Oelek, and Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce)," the company wrote in the letter to customers.
So, if you've come across a shortage in the area, there's a chance that it will only get worse. At least until September, so keep those fingers crossed.
The knowledge of the shortage has sent sriracha diehards into a panic.
Now, after all of the terrifying news that Huy Fong Foods version of sriracha is facing a shortage, I want to point something out to you as a substitute if you can't get your fix.
With the ensuing rains and humidity here in Acadiana, there is one place that isn't currently having droughts that make a damn fine sriracha sauce. Your one and only Tabasco has their very own, extremely delicious sriracha sauce.
If you're worried about the vinegar-y taste of the original Tabasco sauce being too much for the sriracha sauce, don't be. They've concocted a savory sriracha sauce that can compete with the best that doesn't hang on the original's vinegar flavors.