11 Things Everyone Needs To Know About Sriracha

The sauce is boss.

We get it: You love Sriracha. We do too.

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But to love Sriracha, one must first truly know Sriracha. Let's start from the top.

1. This is a Thai pepper.

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The Thai pepper is used in the original version of Sriracha, which is believed to have been created by Thanom Chakkapak in the 1930s. It's sweeter and thinner than the US version.

2. Sriracha gets its name from its birthplace, Si Racha.

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Chakkapak created the original version of Sriracha as a dipping sauce for the seafood caught in her coastal town.

3. The Sriracha we know was created in Vietnam.

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David Tran started making his own version of the sauce in 1975 in Vietnam. His version is much thicker and garlicy than its Thai counterpart.

4. This is how to properly pronounce the sauce.

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See-rotch-ah. Not sir-ah-cha. *drops mic*

5. Sriracha planted its seed in California in 1980.

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Tran fled Vietnam on a Taiwanese freighter called Huey Fong in 1979. This freighter would later inspire the name of the company, Huy Fong Foods Inc., that he founded in California.

6. Sriracha's red color is completely natural.

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The red coloring comes from the red jalapeños used to make it. It contains no artificial colors.

7. Sriracha is significantly less spicy than a jalapeño.

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Even though the sauce is made with jalapeños, it only scores at 2,200 points on the Scoville scale. Jalapeños range from 2,500–8,000. The peppers lose a lot of their spiciness when they are processed.

8. The bottle is red and green to mimic the pepper.

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Knowledge is power!

9. It's so popular that it was demanded in space.

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There is a theory that space dulls the taste buds. To make sure astronauts had tasty flavorful meals, they started sending Tran's Sriracha bottles into space.

10. Part of its popularity is because it isn't trademarked.

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No one place can take credit for the viral Sriracha craze, but most of it can be attributed to its lack of trademarking. This has allowed for all the Sriracha merchandise and foods you see today. The more you see the name, the more you want the sauce, which is a win for Tran.

11. Yes, it is good on just about everything.

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Pasta. Rice. Pizza. Popcorn. Ice Cream. Even just straight out of the bottle.

And Sriracha is even better on a luxury car!

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The Lexus IS has Sriracha-infused in every inch of the car. Enjoy Sriracha temperature settings, Sriracha green accents, a fully stocked trunk, and a hidden green-tipped flaming dual exhaust. Now that's hot.

The Lexus Sriracha IS is not for sale. Sriracha and the Lexus IS sold separately. Professional assembly required.