How Popular Is Hot Sauce in the United States Today?
Presently, in the United States, over 50 million bottles of Hot Sauce are sold annually.
It’s the 5th most popular condiment in the U.S., with the first 4 being Mayonnaise, Salsa, Ketchup, and Mustard, respectively. (Ranch Dressing is 6th).
Buffalo-style chicken wings coated in hot sauce served with a cup of ranch dressing.
Photo credit: AdobeStock_716074675
How Hot Sauce Originated in Ancient Cultures
The earliest known use of hot sauce dates to around 7000 BC, among the Aztecs.
They cultivated chili peppers and used them in various ways, often mixing them with water for multiple purposes. This simple sauce was used for cooking, as a medicinal remedy, and as a deterrent or weapon (possibly the first pepper spray).
Beginning around 3500 BC, chili peppers were cultivated in Mexico, resulting in a diverse array of varieties and spicy beverages.
How Hot Sauce Spread Around the World
In 1500 AD, Spanish conquistadors introduced hot sauce to the world, spreading it across the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa.
This led to new concoctions as new hot sauce recipes emerged using imported peppers, vinegar, and spices.
How Hot Sauce Became a Commercial Product
The first commercial hot sauce advertisement was printed in a Massachusetts newspaper in 1807.
In 1848, Soldiers from the Mexican-American War had found a love for hot peppers. Many returned home, bringing Tabasco pepper seeds they had cultivated to make hot sauces.
Edmund McIlhenny obtained the first-ever patent for hot sauce in 1850, and it was trademarked in 1906.
Tabasco® is still popular today.
How the Scoville Scale Measures Hot Sauce Heat
The Scoville Scale was invented by Wilbur Scoville in 1912 and measures the spiciness of hot foods.
It is still the standard for measuring the spiciness of hot sauce used today.
How Craft and Boutique Hot Sauces Gained Popularity
Carefully crafted products began to gain popularity in 1985, driven by the rise of microbreweries and the farm-to-table movement.
Hot sauce makers began producing small-batch, boutique products with diverse flavors and varying heat levels.
How Pepper Diversity Shaped Modern Hot Sauce
Today, there are an estimated 300 distinct varieties of commercially cultivated peppers, as well as an unknown number of experimental species.
In 2012, Ed Currie of the PuckerButt Pepper Company created the “Carolina Reaper” in Fort Mill, SC.
It was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s hottest pepper with a Scoville Heat Unit of 2.2 million.
In 2023, he surpassed his own record by creating “Pepper X,” the hottest pepper with a Scoville Heat Unit of 2.69 million.
These peppers have taken hot sauces to a new level of popularity.
How Big the Global Hot Sauce Market Is Today
The number of commercially available hot sauces worldwide is unknown.
However, global hot sauce sales are estimated at $3.3 billion in 2024 and are projected to reach $5.98 billion by 2032.
Sources
- Kalkumnerd, Bill (2025, December 4). When Was Hot Sauce Invented? https://happyspicyhour.com/when-was-hot-sauce-invented/
- National Library of Medicine. (2013, November 13). Pre-Hispanic Use of Chili Peppers in Chiapas, Mexico. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3827288/
- National Library of Medicine, (2014, April 21). Multiple lines of Evidence for the Origin of Domesticated Chili Pepper. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4035960/
