The red plastic bottle, green top and rooster logo synonymous with the Asian hot sauce Sriracha has been a staple in my house since I can remember, but recently it has taken on an exciting new role as America’s favorite condiment. In the past few years, Sriracha sales have increased by almost 20 percent each year without a single advertisement put out by their distributor, Huy Fong Foods.
Restaurants have started featuring it in many of their dishes, Lay’s made it one of their top three new chip flavors, and even Subway has started offering Sriracha chicken and steak melts as regular menu items. The way things are going, pretty soon the next time you order a burger or sandwich, you’ll receive a Sriracha packet along with the standard ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.
Sriracha is just the tip of the iceberg with the spicy foods trend that has taken over the nation. Chipotle, habanero and jalapeno are among other foods that have recently become more popular in snack foods, as well as on restaurant menus.
For example, we all know the standard Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese Doritos, but there have actually been 102 different varieties of Doritos produced. Of the 102 flavors, most of them have involved spicier flavors, including Doritos Fiery Habanero, Chile Limon and Wasabi.
Restaurants and food trucks that feature Mexican or Asian foods, and often the fusion of the two, have come to make up a large number of newly opened eating establishments. The common denominator in these cuisines is their dedication to cooking spicy dishes, which is perfect for satisfying America’s growing craving for spicy foods.
Fifty-four percent of consumers said spicy or hot foods are appealing, compared to 48 percent in 2011 and just 46 percent in 2009. The largest demographic of those who eat spicy foods comes from the 18-to 34-year-old age group. As college students, we are at the height of our spicy food tolerance.
While Tuscaloosa is a town more dedicated to having at least 20 different barbecue joints than providing groundbreaking spicy cuisine, there are a few spots to hit on your quest for heat in the home of sweet barbecue sauce and even sweeter tea. Sure, you can stick to getting the Sriracha sandwiches at Subway or the spicy chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A, but you can also uncover more exotic and considerably spicier meals if you know where to look.
At Sitar Indian Cuisine on 15th Street, dishes on the lunch buffet are generally pretty mild, but if you go at dinner, you can order your chicken vindaloo or chicken madras as spicy as you want. Similarly, at Ruan Thai on the Strip, you have the choice of ordering most meals mild, medium, hot or Thai hot. The Szechuan beef noodle soup at Mr. Chen’s on Hackberry Lane is also a good go-to meal on a cold winter day.
If you find your budget is more in line with $0.25 Ramen packets than $15 restaurant entrees, you can always splurge on the $3 bottle of Sriracha and just keep squeezing it until the Ramen tastes good or your mouth is too numb from the heat to notice the difference.
