Mexican Vacation Hot Sauce Eat’em Up Review

 GUEST BLOG ALERT! MY BROTHER, MATT, WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SUBMIT THIS FOR YOUR CULINARY PLEASURE! ENJOY!

-SSC

My sister Sara went on vacation to Old Mehico and was thoughtful enough to bring me back a treasure from the south.  It was a selection of 3 hot sauces from “sauces del Gary” which after researching the ancient translation means Sauces of the Gary….Ahhh, wait huh?  So after reassuring myself that there was no ulterior meaning to this brand name I set to partake of these as I have a minor affliction, and that is anything spicy! 

It was a nice Sunday morning and I thought what better way to start the day off than to ingest 3 potential harbingers of gastrointestinal distress, I had spare time.  Also knowing that said thoughtful sister also writes a food blog, why not document my foray into the flaming abyss through the magic of the inter webs.  Without further ado I whipped up a sweet 3 egg omelet with cheese as the platform for my most scientific research. 

 First up was the Salsa Picante El Diablito Habanero (Green).  This little ditty translates to Sharp Sauce of the Habanero Frog.  Okay maybe not exactly but it has something to do with habanero peppers and a frog.  What is odd is that with all of the talk of the name here I completely did not even think to read it before eating and assumed it was a regular green pepper sauce.  The key word I missed was habanero which on the pepper scale, or Scoville scale, is right below the Naga Jolokia (the hottest pepper in the world commonly called the cobra pepper) and law enforcement grade pepper spray.

Nerd Break – Skip if not fascinated by hot stuff

Peppers are hot because of a chemical called Capsaicin.  It is the active component of all chili peppers and obviously is an irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact. Capsaicin and several related compounds are called capsaicinoids and are produced as a secondary metabolite by chili peppers, probably as a defense mechanism against certain herbivores and fungi.  Pure capsaicin is a hydrophobic, colorless, odorless, crystalline to waxy compound.  Ironically research conducted at the university of California, San Francisco has shown that this chemical mimics the sensation of burning in nerves (duh) by binding to certain proteins in pain and heat sensing neurons.  The neurons get overwhelmed by this influx of protein and shut down.  Chronic exposure to capsaicin can deplete the neurons of neurotransmitters leading to a reduction in the sensation of pain and the blockage of neurogenic inflammation i.e. it becomes a pain reliever….just not to your tongue. 

End Nerd Break

Back to the review.  Luckily I am used to hot stuff and have huge pectoral muscles as a normal man would have been rendered incapacitated by such an oversight.  Actually after the initial influx of unexpected heat it mellowed nicely and was a very balanced flavor.  It did not completely mask the flavor of the food but rather added to it.  Hot Sauces that are hot just to be insanely hot are fine to try and say you did it but are the equivalent of a side show freak.  Sure you will pay your $5 bucks to see them at the fair but you aren’t going to bring them home with you.  The other thing you have to watch out for is the cumulative effect that can be experienced hot sauces.  The first bite may be okay but number 5 and you are starting to have visions from the pain.  This sauce did get a little hotter but was still very edible.  I really liked it and am excited to try this in a recipe as well as a condiment.

Next Up was the Salsa El Diabilito Botenero.  Botanero is a type of restaurant according to the inter webs so I don’t know exactly how that pertains to the sauce but I do know it does not have the word habanero in it.  This sauce was a very traditional Mexican hot sauce and while it looks bright red (natures warning sign) it was mild to hot and eggcellent on my eggs.  Maybe the Botanero was a meant as a description for a “house” hot sauce that would commonly be found out on the table as I think this would suit a lot of palettes.  It added kick but was very flavorful and had a nice hint of roasted chilies which is my preferred base rather than a sweeter style such as Texas Pete.

Finally we come to the Salsa Picante El Diablito Habanero (Red).  Might not have wanted to save this one for last but, “fortibus fortuna favet” fortune favors the brave!  This one is hard to decipher as it was the 3rd on and the heat was definitely on in my pie hole.  It did seem to be the hottest but still very palatable.  It was no doubt a habanero sauce but still not anywhere near the insane level.  This was another solid offering as it did not completely drown out the taste but had nice heat.  This would be a great mid tier hot sauce with Frank’s being low and Dave’s insanity being the high.

Overall it was a great breakfast that won’t leave me crippled in the bathroom asking the hot sauce gods for forgiveness.  All three of these will soon be gone from my cabinet as I plan to use these quite frequently.