Matt Bray 
Sambal oelek is not quite as popular in the West as sriracha, but in recent years it has begun to emerge from the shadow of the rooster sauce. These days, sambal oelek has a strong following among people who want a purer hot pepper experience. …
What is shichimi togarashi? Shichimi togarashi is a Japanese spice blend made up of seven different spices. The most common ingredients are red chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame, white sesame, ginger, hemp seed, and nori. It is often used as a condiment for sushi …
You may have come across “chili sauce” as an ingredient for your next great recipe find. But this term is just about as generic as can be in the world of spicy food. What is chili sauce, exactly? And what would be a good chili …
What are tabasco peppers? Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last century, you’ve heard of the famous Tabasco Hot Sauce. It is made in America and is arguably the most popular (and easily found) hot sauce on the planet. The tabasco pepper …
Spicy cherry jam has that perfect level of “sweet and tangy.” It’s sweet enough to work well with a simple piece of toast. And it’s tangy enough to hold its own with a strong cheese. Plus, it’s simple enough to make on the fly to …
Jalapeño peppers and pepperoncini are two of the more common chili peppers you’ll find at grocers, and they are each well-loved by spicy food fans around the world. But how similar are they really? Do they share similar heat profiles? Are they used in the same fashion? …
Habanero peppers get their name from the city of Havana in Cuba, which is La Habana in Spanish. Despite the name, habanero chilies originated on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where they are still cultivated today. Habaneros are no longer at the top of the list of …
Chili powder is the original Tex-Mex seasoning. It is a blend of spices that a Texan named William Gebhardt put together to make it easy for Americans to replicate the flavor profile of the chili dish, a stew also known as chili con carne. It …
Sriracha is an iconic hot sauce, not just for its versatile flavor but also because of its packaging. You most likely have seen the squeeze bottles with the green tops in the condiment aisles of your local grocery stores. The bottles are a distinctive part …
Both Creole seasoning and jerk seasoning come from a mix of European, African, and Native American cultures in the New World. The histories of these two spice mixes have close connections to slavery and colonialism, but they have evolved to become important components in the …