Tabasco

Tabasco is one of the most famous hot sauces. For its preparation, only three simple ingredients are used: hot pepper, salt and vinegar. But this does not prevent Tabasco from being one of the most delicious hot sauces in the world. The limited set of ingredients and small portions of the product are the reasons why it should not be considered as a source of vitamins and minerals. But still, Tabasco has health benefits.

What is Tabasco Sauce

Tabasco is the trade name for hot sauces. The original recipe for this product has only three ingredients: cayenne pepper (also known as Tabasco), salt, and vinegar. 1868 is the year of birth of the world famous sauce. His recipe was developed by Edmund McIllenny from American Louisiana. Unlike many popular dishes today, Tabasco did not appear by chance. Edmund McIllenny worked on its creation for a long time. He ended up choosing Tabasco peppers, salt from a local mine, and high-quality white vinegar. By the way, the first batch of the product was not called Tabasco, but … a sauce prepared by Mr. Macailenny. But soon the creator came up with a spectacular name for his offspring, which is translated from the language of North American Indians as “the country of wet land.”

For the future sauce, only very ripe juicy pepper pods are taken, which are crushed to a puree state and, together with salt, are aged in white oak barrels for 3 years. This type of wood gives the sauce a special sour-spicy flavor. Vinegar is then added to the fermented pepper pulp and the resulting mixture is bottled.

The finished product can be stored for about 3 months at room temperature, and even longer in the refrigerator. The cayenne pepper product is quite spicy, so you need to add it to dishes (especially if you decide to taste Tabasco for the first time) in a few drops.

But not all Tabasco sauces are created equal. The original product comes in seven variations of spiciness. The hottest variant is the habanero, which measures between 7000 and 9000 Scoville units. Less sharp is the so-called “real red” with a classic pungency of 2500-5000 units. In addition to those already mentioned, there are also:

• smoked tabasco (from chipotle pepper, sharpness 1500-2500 units);
• garlic (hotness of 1200-2400 units, made from a mixture of hot peppers and garlic);
• green (from jalapeno pepper, hotness of 600-1200 units);
• buffalo or buffalo (specially designed for chicken wings, 300-900 Scoville units);
• sweet and spicy (the most delicate of hot sauces, with a pungency of only 100-600 units).

But the difference between different types of Tabasco is not only in the degree of pungency, but also in the production process. Only classic Tabasco is aged for 3 years. But for green sauce, instead of Tabasco pepper, another pepper is used – jalapeno.

The sweet and sour taste of green Tabasco goes well with fish and salads. The garlic version of the sauce is usually added to pizza, soups, potatoes, and is used when frying meat. Fragrant smoked Tabasco, according to many gourmets, is the perfect accompaniment to grilled meats and kebabs. The sauce, prepared according to the classic recipe with 3 years of aging, is considered the most versatile and goes well with almost any appetizers and hot dishes. But not everyone dares to try Tabasco Habanero. This incredibly hot sauce goes well with Mexican, Caribbean and African cuisines. Some Tabasco connoisseurs of maximum pungency say that it perfectly complements the taste of vodka. A drop of habanero added to a glass of “little white” turns ordinary vodka into hot peppercorns ^[1].

Nutritional characteristics

A teaspoon of real Tabasco sauce contains no calories or fat at all. This product contains vitamins B, A, C, K, E, as well as some minerals (potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc). But these substances are present in the sauce in very small quantities, especially if you remember that Tabasco is consumed in meager doses. This product also contains almost no protein and fiber. But the sauce based on cayenne pepper contains good reserves of capsaicin (responsible for the hotness of the product). And this substance is known for many useful properties. In particular, research data indicate that capsaicin has analgesic effects, improves digestion, and relieves symptoms of indigestion. In addition, it is believed that this chemical helps to lose weight, and is also useful for skin diseases.

For many years, vegetables containing capsaicin (including cayenne pepper) have been used in various countries to fight infectious diseases and as a pain reliever. Capsaicin, which is also found in Tabasco sauce, is added to ointments for pain in muscles and joints (including those caused by arthritis) ^[2].

Useful properties of Tabasco

The spicy taste and spicy aroma, which combine favorably with many dishes, are far from all the advantages of Tabasco sauce. Here are some of its most well-known health benefits.

Responsible for thermogenesis

This term refers to the fact that while consuming hot sauce, the body temperature rises slightly. That is, Tabasco has a warming effect, which is always accompanied by additional burning of calories and fat cells. By the way, this process continues for some time after the meal with Tabasco sauce. And this can not but rejoice those who want to lose weight. It turns out that the joke about “what to eat to lose weight” is not really a joke. ^[3].

Accelerates Metabolism

Scientific evidence indicates that capsaicin helps speed up metabolism, which also contributes to the process of losing weight. In addition, the acetic acid contained in the product is also beneficial in accelerating the metabolism of fats. Well, speaking about the benefits of Tabasco for weight loss, one cannot help but recall the almost zero calorie content of the product, which makes it one of the most useful sauces for keeping a daily diet. ^{[4] [5]}.

Improves mood

Researchers from New York have found that against the background of eating spicy food in the body, the concentration of endorphins, the so-called hormones of joy, increases. So the next time you feel a lack of happiness, you can try to cheer yourself up with a serving of your favorite meat with Tabasco sauce. ^[6].

Improves blood circulation

Many studies indicate that eating hot peppers can improve cardiovascular health and blood circulation. In addition, scientists have found that capsaicin can lower cholesterol, prevent hypertension and excessive blood clots. ^{[7] [8]}.

The effect of acute on the stomach: myths and truth

Probably, many have heard, they say, a passion for spicy food is a direct path to a stomach ulcer. Today, researchers are increasingly finding evidence to the contrary. If you believe the latest discoveries of scientists, then sauces based on hot peppers, including those containing cayenne pepper Tabasco, are actually good for the stomach.

Supporters of this theory argue that hot sauce, entering the digestive system, kills bacteria harmful to the body and thus regulates the intestinal microflora. In addition, it is believed that hot sauce does not corrode the mucous membrane, but rather stimulates the secretion of juice, which protects the walls of the stomach from acid that breaks down food.

But the benefits of hot sauce can only be felt by a completely healthy digestive system. In the presence of a stomach ulcer or 12 duodenal ulcer, the use of Tabasco sauce will be a rather painful test. Moreover, a spicy product will only exacerbate the problem. Reflux disease, accompanied by heartburn, is also the reason for the rejection of spicy foods, including Tabasco. The use of cayenne pepper sauce will further increase the acidity of the gastric environment. You should not look at a bright bottle of spicy Tabasco sauce for people with irritable bowel syndrome or suffering from atrophic gastritis (accompanied by thinning of the walls of the stomach). In such cases, Tabasco can cause an exacerbation of the disease. ^{[9] [10]}.

Dangerous properties of tabasco

This is a very spicy sauce, which in large quantities can be harmful, and even dangerous. This is especially true for people who have not previously consumed Tabasco. But even those who are accustomed to spicy food should be more careful with this burning product. Excessive doses of capsaicin can cause bloating, severe diarrhea, disrupt blood clotting, and even provoke shock. And regular consumption of hot sauce in too large quantities can cause damage to the kidneys and liver. ^{[9] [10]}.

How to cook at home

Of course, home-made Tabasco will be noticeably different from the original, but you can try to make Tabasco sauce a la Tabasco. The good thing about this homemade recipe is that you can do without white oak barrels and three years of cayenne pepper. But in return, you will have to slightly expand the list of ingredients of a spicy product.

For homemade hot sauce you will need: 6 dried chili peppers, ripe tomatoes (4 large), onion (2 large), a bunch of green parsley, garlic (3-50 cloves), olive oil (about 20 ml), wine vinegar (XNUMX ml ), salt, black pepper and sugar to taste.

Now that we have sorted out the list of ingredients (as you can see, all products are quite affordable), you can start preparing the sauce itself. To do this, the pepper should be cut into 2 parts, cleaned of seeds and stalks, cut into small pieces and pour boiling water for half an hour. During this time, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients: wash, peel and grind in a blender. Then add the swollen chili to the resulting puree and grind again. Transfer the puree to a saucepan, add olive oil, herbs, sugar, salt, vinegar and ground black pepper. Cook everything together until thickened.

There are many sauces based on hot peppers in world cuisine. But if this group of products has its own king, then it is undoubtedly Tabasco – a sauce invented a century and a half ago and which has become the main one on the tables of all lovers of spicy dishes.

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