The Fascination of Tabasco Sauce

On my recent trip to Louisiana, I discovered that Avery Island, the home of Tabasco Sauce was a short distance from my hotel. On a sunny Sunday afternoon I traveled to the plant to see exactly how Tabasco Sauce is made. It was an amazing experience and nothing what I expected. Avery Island sits atop a natural salt bed which is said to be as deep as Mt. Everest is tall. It is coarser and almost looks like sea salt.

Avery Island, Louisiana, is the home of the McIlhenny family. About 130 years ago, a gift of Capsicum frutescens peppers from China or Central America was presented to Edmund McIlhenny. Soon his private pepper sauce was being requested by friends and acquaintances alike and the business was born. They outgrew the land and in 1965, the family transferred some of the growing of the peppers to Central America. The McIlhenny family still supervises every step of the growing and manufacturing process.

The pepper seeds are planted every February in the greenhouses where they remain until mid-April after the last frost when they are transferred to the field. The plants grow and mature until August when they turn the perfect shade of deep red and are ready to be picked. The full size of the pepper is only about 1 to 1-1/2 inches. The red peppers are picked daily by field workers who use a little red stick called Le Petit Baton Rouge which is painted the exact color of the ripened pepper. This way there is consistency in all peppers picked.

The same day the peppers are picked they are ground into a mash with a small amount of Avery Island salt. The mash is placed into oak casks supplied by companies such as Jack Daniels or Jim Beam. The casks are sealed and the tops are covered with salt from the island and holes are drilled into the top of the casks to allow ventilation. This is done to keep the barrels from exploding during the fermentation process which lasts three years. Yes, you heard it right, they store these barrels for three full years.

At the end of three years, the barrels are opened and the mash mixed with a special vinegar and secret spices and placed in large mixing vats. The vats are stirred for the next 30 days. At the end of this, the mash mixture is run through three separate screens to extract the pepper pulp and seeds. The bottles are then ready to be filled with the familiar red cap and labels applied.

Approximately 720,000 bottles per day are manufactured and shipped to over 160 countries, in 22 different languages. Nothing is wasted in the process. The pulp and seed by-products that were strained from the Tabasco mash are used to make well-known products, some of which you may know. These include Ben Gay, Icy-Hot, Close-Up toothpaste, Spam, Slim Jim beef sticks, Heinz ketchup, A1 Steak Sauce, Cheez-It Crackers, Lawry's salt and Vlasic pickles, to name just a few.

I had the opportunity to visit the country store and taste Tabasco ice cream and a line of special Tabasco Sauce dips and Tabasco cola. They even take the barrels that the mash was stored in and chip it to make charcoal briquettes that are wonderful for barbecuing. There is always a story behind the product sitting on the shelf of your local supermarket.

Peace and love.

The charm of Tabasco

My last trip to Louisiana, I found out that Iceland, the home of Tabasco sauce Avery hotel was not far from mine. On a sunny Sunday afternoon I went to the plant to see exactly how Tabasco sauce is made. It 'was a fantastic experience, and nothing that I expected. Mt Avery Iceland sits on a natural bed of salt than the deep to be so. Everest is high. E 'biggest and almost looks like sea salt.

Avery Island,Louisiana is home to the McIlhenny family. Over 130 years Capsicum frutescens is a gift of peppers from China or Central America has been introduced to Edmund McIlhenny. Soon his private pepper sauce called by friends and acquaintances alike, and the business was born. Growing out of the country and in 1965 he moved his family to some of pepper crops in Central America. The McIlhenny family still controls all stages of cultivation and production process.

L 'pepper seeds will remain in February of each year in the greenhouses, where, by mid-April after the last frost, when they are transferred to field planting. The plants grow and mature until August, when the shadows are perfect deep red and are ready to be picked up. The full size of the pepper is only 1 to 1-1/2 inches. The peppers will be a day of field personnel, a red stick, called Le Petit Baton Rouge, who collected painted the exact color of ripe pepper to use. In this way,And 'consistency in all the peppers picked.

The same day they got pepper in a must with a small amount of salt Iceland Avery. The mixture is furnished in oak barrels from companies such as Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. The barrels are sealed and the plates are covered with salt from the island and holes in the barrel tip to allow for ventilation. This is done to maintain the barrels exploded during the fermentation, thethree years. Yes, you heard right, store these barrels for three years.

After three years, the barrels open and mix the sauce with a special secret spices and vinegar in large vats and mixing. The tanks are agitated over the next 30 days. At the end of the mash mixture with three separate screens run the pepper fruit and the seed extract. The bottles are then ready to work with the familiar red cap and label are requiredapplied.

produced about 720,000 bottles a day and delivered to over 160 countries in 22 different languages. Nothing is lost in the process. The pulp and seed products, which were strained by the Tabasco mash, are the best known products, some of which may let you know. These include Ben Gay, Icy Hot, Close-Up toothpaste, spam, Slim Jim Beef Stick, Heinz ketchup, A1 steak sauce, Cheez-It crackers, Lawry's salt and Vlasic pickles, to name a few.

I hadthe opportunity to visit the village shop and taste of ice and a special issue of Tabasco sauce Tabasco sauce Tabasco and Dips Cola. Once the barrels, the juice was stored in the chip to make charcoal for barbecue are wonderful. There is always a story behind the product sit on the shelf of the local supermarket.

Peace and love.

All About Tabasco Sauce

Look in a local grocery store and you are sure to find Tabasco sauce. It 's almost as common as ketchup and mustard. But have you ever wondered where this sauce was created? There are a lot of history behind its development. So read on to discover interesting facts about one of the best known and most popular sauces.

This hot sauce is made mainly of red peppers, vinegar and salt. The peppers are perfect as soon took the red ripe. They are thereforemashed with Avery Island salt and the same day they picked it up. The mixture is then placed in a wooden barrel and allows the age of about three years. Once fully in old age is the sauce is mixed with vinegar and pepper seeds of wheat high and skin are stretched out. And 'now ready to be bottled for distribution in the bottle.

This now world famous sauce created, had to flee when the owner of a banker named Edmund McIlhenny and planting at home during the Civil War. L 'Union army invaded his state and resumed his planting. After the war was over, Mr. McIlhenny returned home and discovered that his home and plantation were looted. He had to start over and build a source of income for himself and his family.

The only thing that the looting was more of a harvest of paprika peppers. Mr. McIlhenny was determined to pepper his life. He developed a spicy sauce with peppers, vinegar and Avery IslandSalt, which was found in abundance on his property. E 'packaged in fancy bottles of sauce and Cologne sent samples to wholesalers.

One of the people, the sample was, this new sauce General Hazard. It was the sauce to his brother, the largest wholesale distributor of food products was the United States. The orders began to come and Edmund McIlhenny was now full-time commercial business pepper sauce.

However, the distribution of Tabasco is not to stop the United States. Seethe possibility of a global market McIlhenny opened an office in London to expand on the European market. It is said that Queen Elizabeth also used the cocktail sauce on their lobster Avery Iceland.

So what began as a disaster for the McIlhenny family turned into a very profitable business. The sauce Louisiana has become a common household spice that is used in a variety of dishes. It 'also in drinks, used as a Bloody Mary. The McIlhenny familystill runs the global operations of its Avery Island, Louisiana home.