Variety is the spice of life and the spice of spice is hot stuff. Capsaicin to be specific, but that is getting ahead of ourselves. A good hot sauce can make or break a meal and it also separates the men from the boys. There are numerous different kinds of salsa, some with only a hint of heat and others that attempt to remove all pleasure from eating. Whatever your fancy there is a spice for you.
The main ingredient in hot sauce is usually chillies. This could be jalapenos, habaneros, cayenne, or something more exotic. It can also be some other type of filler like tomatoes or carrots. The chillies are usually cooked or infused with another ingredient like vinegar, oil, alcohol, fruit juice or any other array of unique ingredients. I would say that the only rule that needs to be followed to make hot sauce is that it needs to be spicy and hot but many varieties of chile sauce violate this rule.
In the United States we have a couple ethnic varieties of hot sauce. The two most famous being the Louisiana hot sauce and the Mexican variety of picante. Both of these can be broken down further into more regional varieties but for the most part this is were the line is drawn.
Jalapenos are by far the most popular chile in Mexican varieties of picante, the jalapenos are used fresh or smoked. Once smoked they are referred to as chipotles. Mexican hot sauce usually focuses on flavor but it is also famous for being extremely hot and they are not above using habanero peppers for some extra kick. Tomatoes, onions and other fillers are common and usually help round out the taste. The southern varieties of hot sauce are usually best fresh and often avoid vinegar which is often used as a preservative.
The Louisiana hot sauce also famous in the south most commonly uses cayenne pepper. These sauces also focus more on flavor than heat with many regional varieties that have been perfected over the years. Vinegar is common in the Louisiana variety and it makes these hot sauces thinner and longer lasting than Mexican varieties. As a whole Mexican hot sauce is normally used more liberally while the Louisiana variety is just an add on.
Hot sauce is certainly not an American invention, just sample of Thai or Indian food for confirmation that most American varieties don’t hold a candle to the heat that is savored in other countries.