View source for Sriracha

{{Short description|Thai hot sauce}}
{{about|the condiment|the Huy Fong Foods brand|Huy Fong sriracha |the documentary|Sriracha (film)|other uses|Si Racha (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Siracha sauce.jpg
| width1 = 150
| alt1 = Sriraja Paniche
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| image2 = Sriracha sauce.JPG
| width2 = 64
| alt2 = Sriracha "Rooster Sauce"
| caption2 = 
| footer = Sriraja Panich chili sauce by Thai Theparos Food Products (left) and ''[[Sriracha sauce (Huy Fong Foods)|Tương Ớt Sriracha]]'' ("''Rooster Sauce''{{-"}}) by [[Huy Fong Foods]] (right)
}}

'''Sriracha''' ({{IPAc-en|s|iː|ˈ|r|ɑː|tʃ|ə}} {{respell|see|RAH|chə}} or {{IPAc-en|s|ɪ|ˈ|r|ɑː|tʃ|ə}} {{respell|si|RAH|chə}}; {{langx|th|ศรีราชา}}, {{IPA|th|sǐːrāːtɕʰāː|pron|Sriracha Pronunciation (TH).ogg}}) is a type of [[hot sauce]] or [[chili sauce]] made from a paste of [[chili pepper]]s, [[Vinegar#Spirits|distilled vinegar]], pickled [[garlic]], sugar, and salt.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is sriracha? |url=http://www.cookthink.com/reference/60/What_is_sriracha |publisher=Cookthink.com |access-date=June 29, 2013}}</ref> It was first produced in 1932 by a native of [[Si Racha district|Si Racha]], a town and district of [[Thailand]], though it may have been based on older [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]] recipes.

==Use==
In [[Thailand]], sriracha is frequently used as a dipping sauce, particularly for seafood and omelets.

In [[Vietnamese cuisine]], particularly in North America, sriracha appears as a condiment for {{lang|vi|[[phở]]}} and [[fried noodles]], as a topping for [[spring rolls]] ({{lang|vi|[[chả giò]]}}), and in sauces.<ref>{{cite web |last=Moncel |first=Bethany |title=The History and Uses for Sriracha Sauce|url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/making-the-most-of-sriracha-sauce-1328440 |website=The Spruce Eats|access-date=2019-04-29}}</ref> In [[Vietnam]] however, sriracha is not found in many restaurants and private homes, with a distinct chili sauce "{{lang|vi|[[Chili_sauce_and_paste#Vietnam|tương ớt]]}}" being far more ubiquitous.<ref>{{cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Andrea |title=Sriracha Taste Off: Thailand vs. America vs. Vietnam|url=https://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/sriracha-chile-hot-sauce-taste-off.html |website=Viet World Kitchen|access-date=2024-11-17}}</ref>

Sriracha is also eaten in soup, on eggs and burgers. Jams, lollipops, and cocktails have all been made using the sauce,<ref>{{cite news |author=Magazine Monitor |title= Sriracha: How a sauce won over the US |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-25455643 |date=December 21, 2013 |work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> and sriracha-flavored potato chips have been marketed.<ref name="latimes2013">{{cite news |last=Shyong |first=Frank |url=http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-75382624/ |title=Sriracha hot sauce purveyor turns up the heat |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 12, 2013 |quote=Roland Foods in New York makes its own variety, Sriracha Chili Sauce, in a similarly shaped yellow-capped bottle featuring two dragons instead of a rooster. [[Frito-Lay]] is testing a sriracha-flavored potato chip, and [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway]] is experimenting with a creamy sriracha sauce for sandwiches. |access-date=June 29, 2013 |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20121006015957/http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-75382624/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Origin==
[[File:Sriracha Sauce Gold Medals Brand.jpg|thumb|"Gold Medals Brand" the first officially Sriracha sauce since 1932]]

Sriracha chili sauce was officially born in 1932, the same year that marked the [[Siamese revolution of 1932|Siamese Revolution]], transitioning the country into a [[constitutional monarchy]]. That year, La-Orr Suwanprasop, a native of [[Si Racha|Sriracha]] who had settled in Bangkok, began producing and selling her own chili sauce. Her product won a gold medal in a competition during the Constitution Celebration. She attempted to register the brand under the name “Sriracha Chili Sauce” after her hometown, but the authorities denied her request, as it was the name of a district. Ultimately, she had to use the brand name “Gold Medals” instead. However, Gold Medals chili sauce remained a small-scale household industry with limited production capacity, which prevented it from gaining widespread recognition. Even today, The Gold Medals is still available on the market, retaining its original label design since 1932.

The internationally renowned Sriracha chili sauce is the “Sriracha Panich” brand, which was first sold in 1935. This recipe was created by Thanom Chakkapak, a native of Sriracha, who established a chili sauce factory in [[Si Racha]], [[Chonburi Province]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Khaleeli |first=Homa |title=Hot right now: how Sriracha has become a must-have sauce |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/02/sriracha-ketchup-kick-must-have-sauce |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=29 June 2015 |date=2 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hammond |first=Griffin |title=Sriracha - Documentary |url=http://srirachamovie.com/ |website=Sriracha Movie |access-date=May 12, 2015 |date=November 28, 2013}}</ref> Her sauce became a well-known local product. Later, in 1984, Thai Theparos Company acquired the business and its recipe, expanding distribution both domestically and internationally. The brand remains widely recognized around the world.

The Sriracha sauce itself may be an adaptation of a Cantonese garlic and chili sauce originally from [[Shunde District|Shunde]], [[China]]. In the early 1900s, [[Cantonese people|Cantonese]] immigrants settled in Si Racha, and their garlic and chili sauce was sold in Thailand for decades before the first bottles of ''Gold Medals'' and ''Sriraja Panich'' were produced.<ref>{{Citation |title=Everything You Know About Sriracha is a Lie. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8pacTAmaFA |access-date=2023-07-05 |language=en}}</ref>

==Variations==
===Thailand===
[[File:Sriraja Panich Chili Sauces.jpg|thumb|Sriraja Panich chili sauces]]
In Thailand, the sauce is most often called {{lang|th-Latn|sot Siracha}} ({{langx|th|ซอสศรีราชา}}) and sometimes {{lang|th-Latn|[[nam phrik]] Siracha}} ({{langx|th|น้ำพริกศรีราชา}}). Traditional Thai sriracha sauce tends to be tangier in taste, and runnier in texture than non-Thai versions.<ref name="BA">{{cite journal |last=Nguyen |first=Andrea |title=The Original Sriracha |url=http://www.bonappetit.com/trends/article/the-original-sriracha |journal=[[Bon Appétit]] |access-date=June 29, 2015 |date=March 4, 2013 |quote=The Thais also make many versions of [sriracha] sauce... which tend to be more liquid and pourable than Huy Fong’s. Sriraja Panich has a lovely balance of bright chili heat, delicate sweetness, vinegary tang, and garlicky backnote.}}</ref>

In a ''[[Bon Appétit]]'' magazine interview, US Asian-foods distributor Eastland Food Corporation asserted that the Thai brand of hot sauce ''Sriraja Panich'', which Eastland distributes, is the original "sriracha sauce" and was created in Si Racha, Thailand, in the 1930s from the recipe of a housewife named Thanom Chakkapak.<ref name="BA" />

===United States===
In the United States, sriracha is associated with a [[Sriracha sauce (Huy Fong Foods)|jalapeño-based sauce produced by Huy Fong Foods]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Sriracha: How a sauce won over the us|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-25455643 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=25 July 2015}}</ref><ref name="NYT Crow"/> and is sometimes referred to as "rooster sauce" or "cock sauce"<ref>{{cite news |last=Usborne |first=Simon |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/sriracha-hot-sauce-heated-dispute-8950286.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/sriracha-hot-sauce-heated-dispute-8950286.html |archive-date=2022-05-24 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Sriracha hot sauce: Heated dispute |date=November 20, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |location=London |quote=But like most obsessives, Erskine is fiercely loyal to 'rooster sauce' as some know the brand (in the US it is sometimes also called 'cock sauce'). |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> from the image of a [[rooster]] on the bottle.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/02/sriracha |title=A Rooster's Wake-Up Call |magazine=[[Gourmet (magazine)|Gourmet]] |last=Sytsma |first=Alan |date=February 2, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202234216/http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/02/sriracha |archive-date=December 2, 2013 |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> Other variations of sriracha have appeared in the U.S. market, including a sriracha that is aged in whiskey barrels.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fanous |first=Angelina |title=Sriracha Aged in Whiskey Barrels Is Better than the Original Sauce |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/whiskey-barrel-aged-sriracha-sauce-is-better-than-the-original/ |date=March 6, 2014 |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Birdsall |first=John |title=A Woman in SF Is Barrel-Aging Sriracha, and It's Awesome |url=http://www.chow.com/food-news/147337/a-woman-in-sf-is-barrel-aging-sriracha-and-its-awesome/ |publisher=[[Chow (website)|Chow]] |date=March 6, 2014 |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> The Huy Fong Foods Sriracha was first produced in the early 1980s for dishes served at American [[phở]] restaurants.<ref name="NYT Crow">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/dining/20united.html?pagewated=all |title=A Chili Sauce to Crow About |last=Edge |first=John T. |date=May 19, 2009 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=D1 |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref>

Various restaurants in the US, including [[Wendy's]],<ref>{{cite web |title=BACON SRIRACHA FRIES |url=https://www.wendys.com/en-us/fries-sides/srirachabaconfries |publisher=Wendy's |access-date=28 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129024320/https://www.wendys.com/en-us/fries-sides/srirachabaconfries |archive-date=29 November 2016}}</ref> [[Applebee's]], [[P.F. Chang's]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Sriracha Pizza & Wings |url=https://www.dominos.co.uk/blog/sriracha-pizza-and-wings/ |publisher=Domino's UK |access-date=2017-01-24 |archive-date=2017-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202100304/https://www.dominos.co.uk/blog/sriracha-pizza-and-wings/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Jack in the Box]], [[McDonald's]], [[Subway (restaurant)|Subway]], [[Taco Bell]], [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]], [[CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries#Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants|Gordon Biersch]], [[Chick-fil-A]], [[Firehouse Subs]], [[Noodles & Company]], [[Starbucks]], and [[Burger King]] have incorporated sriracha into their dishes, sometimes mixing it with [[mayonnaise]] or into dipping sauces.<ref name="NYT Crow" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/subway-sriracha_n_4233738.html |title=Subway's Sriracha Sauce Goes National, and It's Good |date=November 7, 2013 |website=[[The Huffington Post]] |department=Taste |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.whitecastle.com/company/news/view/144-white-castle-introduces-new-full-flavored-sriracha-chicken-sliders |title=White Castle Introduces New Full-Flavored Sriracha Chicken Sliders |date=May 31, 2014 |publisher=[[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714143341/http://www.whitecastle.com/company/news/view/144-white-castle-introduces-new-full-flavored-sriracha-chicken-sliders |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Hannan |first=Caleb |url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-21/sriracha-hot-sauce-catches-fire-with-only-one-rooster |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223024436/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-21/sriracha-hot-sauce-catches-fire-with-only-one-rooster |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 23, 2013 |title=Sriracha Hot Sauce Catches Fire, Yet 'There's Only One Rooster' |date=February 21, 2013 |magazine=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Harris |first=Jenn |title=Taste-testing Taco Bell's new Sriracha Quesarito |url=http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-taco-bell-sriracha-quesarito-20150225-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 25, 2015 |access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); No by-line-->|url=http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/10/22/burger-king-brings-heat-with-extra-long-sriracha-cheeseburger/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023012231/http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/10/22/burger-king-brings-heat-with-extra-long-sriracha-cheeseburger/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2015|title=Burger King brings the heat with Extra Long Sriracha Cheeseburger|date=October 22, 2015|publisher=[[Fox News]] |access-date=October 27, 2015}}</ref> The word "sriracha" is considered a [[Trademark_distinctiveness#Generic_terms|generic term]].{{cn|date=January 2024}}

In 2022, Huy Fong Foods Sriracha sauce temporarily halted production due to a shortage of chili peppers arising from a business dispute with Underwood Ranches, which claims Huy Fong Foods misled Underwood Ranches to invest in its expansion, and then breached its oral contract to purchase at their originally agreed upon price point. This caused the price to increase to $30 a bottle or higher.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Castrodale |first=Jelisa |date=2023-06-26 |title=Bottles of Sriracha Are Selling for Over $30 as the Shortage Enters Its Second Year |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/sriracha-shortage-huy-fong-foods-update-stealing-bottles-ebay-amazon-prices-7553232 |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Food & Wine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Spiler |first=Samara |date=2023-11-04 |title=Where's my Sriracha? The Spicy Consequences of Breaching Oral Contracts |url=https://lawreview.law.miami.edu/wheres-my-sriracha-the-spicy-consequences-of-breaching-oral-contracts/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |publisher=University of Miami Law Review |language=en-US}}</ref> The halt in production lasted for over a year,<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kagan |first=Isabelle |last2=Brown |first2=Kaleb A. |date=2023-07-17 |title=There's a Sriracha hot sauce shortage—here's where to buy and substitutes to try |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/reviewed/2023/07/17/huy-fong-sriracha-shortage-2023-where-to-buy-substitute-hot-sauce-to-try/70421865007/ |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> but Huy Fong has failed to acquire a consistent supply of peppers at its desired quality point since the dispute.<ref name=":0" />

==In popular culture==

* In 2013, American filmmaker Griffin Hammond released ''[[Sriracha (film)|Sriracha]]'', a documentary about the origin and production of sriracha sauce.<ref>{{citation | last=Anderson | first=L.V. | title=Sriracha the Movie: Griffin Hammond's documentary about David Tran, reviewed. | work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] | date=2013-12-12 | url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/12/12/sriracha_the_movie_griffin_hammond_s_documentary_about_david_tran_reviewed.html | access-date=2017-12-20}}</ref>
* Rapper [[Tech N9ne]] released the song "Sriracha" in 2016, in which he compares his style of rhyme to the condiment.
* In 2017, the Korean trio Bang Chan, Changbin and Han debuted in the group 3Racha, taking inspiration from the sauce. Now they are part of the k-pop group [[Stray Kids]].
* Action caper chase film [[Stuber (film)|''Stuber'']] (2019) ends at a Sriracha factory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://flixchatter.net/2019/07/15/flixchatter-review-stuber-2019/|title=FlixChatter Review: STUBER (2019)|author=Ruth|website=Flix Chatter|date=July 15, 2019|access-date=October 25, 2024 }}</ref>
* A bottle of sriracha sauce makes a [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] in [[Ronin (Hawkeye episode)|episode 5]] of 2021 American television miniseries ''[[Hawkeye (miniseries)|Hawkeye]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shure |first=Marnie |date=2022-01-13 |title=Hawkeye's Sriracha Cameo Was All Wrong, And We Can't Figure Out Why |url=https://www.thetakeout.com/hawkeye-episode-5-sriracha-mac-and-cheese-florence-pugh-1848343838/ |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=The Takeout |language=en-US}}</ref> The scene in which it is used was apparently improvised by actress [[Florence Pugh]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Shania |date=2021-12-22 |title=Florence Pugh Improvised The Hot Sauce Detail In Hawkeye Episode 5 |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/715724/florence-pugh-improvised-the-hot-sauce-detail-in-hawkeye-episode-5/ |access-date=2024-07-15 |website=SlashFilm |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Thailand|Food}}
* [[List of hot sauces]]
* [[List of sauces]]
* [[Nam chim]] - Thai dipping sauces
* [[Nam phrik]] - Thai chili pastes

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{commons-inline}}
{{Chili peppers}}
{{Cuisine of Thailand}}
{{Hot sauces}}

[[Category:Chonburi province]]
[[Category:Chili sauce and paste]]
[[Category:Thai cuisine]]
[[Category:Vietnamese cuisine]]
[[Category:Hot sauces]]