On Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:19:32 -0500, Tracy > wrote:

>bulka wrote:
>> On Feb 18, 1:04 pm, "Lisa Ann" > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Lots of Frank's Hot Sauce
>>> Lots of Tabasco Sauce
>>
>>
>> Hmm. Frank's AND Tabasco? I thought hot sauces were mostly
>> interchangable. I take that back. I used to like Sriracha, until
>> just now when I looked at the ingredients of a big new bottle.
>> Yikes. Guess I'm back to a simple vinegar/pepper like Louisiana.
>>
>> Bulka
>
>Frank's and Tabasco are definitely not the same. To me - Frank's has a
>vinegary taste along with the heat. Tabasco is just heat. IMHO.

Um, I thought this was common knowledge. Tabasco is fermented
like Polish pickles; the acid a derived from malo-lactic fermentation,
not vinegar. Most cayenne sauces are macerations of pepper in vinegar,
hence their "vinegary" taste. Two different breeds of cat. THe Tabasco
plant is in my neighborhood (about a 2 hour drive). They pack the
pepper mash in oak barrels with salt (Avery Island is NOT an offshore
Island. It is a hill over a salt dome. At one time they mined their
own salt to ferment the peppers. :Like Kim-chi"). Other cayenne
sauces are simply flavored vinegar. If you can handle it, you will
find that Tabasco has a wonderful flavor, and is not just "heat".

HTH,

Alex

BTW: Hot sauces like Cholula and TapaTio do not use the same
peppers as the Louisiana sauces, hence they go better with
Mexican food, while the Louisiana types... well, you get the picture.