In Thailand, sriracha is frequently used as a dipping sauce, particularly for seafood and omelet. In Vietnamese cuisine, sriracha appears as a condiment for phở and fried noodles, as a topping for spring rolls, and in sauces. Sriracha is also eaten in soup, on eggs and burgers. Jams, lollipops, and cocktails have all been made using the sauce, and sriracha-flavored potato chips have been marketed.
Origin
The origin and history of sriracha are debated. One report has it that the sauce was first produced by a Thai woman named Thanom Chakkapak in the town of Si Racha. According to the Thai "Chomrom Rak Si Racha" the sauce was first made in Si Racha by Burmese sawmill workers. The association interviewed 88-year-old Thawat Wiphisamakun, known locally as Ah Pae. Ah Pae's maternal grandmother had a small shop in Si Racha. The Burmese workers came to the shop to buy chilies, salt, vinegar, and sugar to pound in a mortar to make their sauce. Eventually she started making the sauce herself, both for family use and for sale to customers. Soon, another customer, Kimsua Thimkrachang, began to buy large quantities of chilies, salt, vinegar, and sugar. He was making the chili sauce for sale as Sauce Si Racha Traa Phukhao Thong with a picture of the Golden Mountain Temple on the label. Its name was Si Racha Phanich. Another report has it that the sauce originated in the town of Sri Racha, Thailand in the early 1930s by La Orr Suwanprasop. La Orr was born and raised in Sri Racha and eventually met her husband who was from Bangkok. Upon getting married she and her husband moved to Bangkok where she would continually make batches of the famous chili sauce for her friends. Her friends would encourage her to make the sauce for sale which ultimately motivated her to start her sriracha sauce business. After discussion with a monk, La Orr was given the blessing to start the sriracha chili sauce business. The monk had given her the idea to name the sauce "sriracha sauce", after her hometown. By 1932, La Orr Suwanprasop began producing and selling her sauce in Bangkok. Over time, the rumor of her sauce began to spread and chefs all over Bangkok started using her sauce in their restaurants. La Orr and her family eventually entered their sauce into annual competitions where she was awarded several gold medals which is why their sriracha sauce is named the Gold Medal Brand. After winning various medals and recognition for their sauce, La Orr and her family eventually brought their medals to the government food department in Bangkok to establish that they are the original creators of “Sriracha Sauce”. By this time, it was very difficult for the government to prove that they were the original creators of the famous sauce as there were several other “copycat” brands but there are no records showing that the sauce was made before 1932. The food department recommended that they change their logo’s design so that it incorporates wording “Produced in 1932”, to indicate that Gold Medal was the first of the sriracha sauce brands. Today, Lakut Suwanprasop, son of La Orr Suwanprasop, still follows the traditions of his mother in creating and selling the sriracha sauce from fresh, well-inspected chilis.
Variations
Thailand
In Thailand, the sauce is most often called sot Siracha and only sometimes nam phrik Siracha. Traditional Thai sriracha sauce tends to be tangier in taste, and runnier in texture than non-Thai versions. 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.
In 2013, American filmmaker Griffin Hammond released Sriracha, a documentary about the origin and production of sriracha sauce. In 2015, rapper ¥ung ¢hef released the song Top Ramen on Soundcloud, in which he proclaims, "ain't nobody giving me Top Ramen, without my Sriracha Sauce". The song's lyrics reference Sriracha Sauce several more times throughout the song. ¥ung ¢hef released a music video for the song Top Ramen in July 2016, in which Sriracha Sauce is also prominently featured. As of July 2020 the video has over 2.4 million views.
