The hot sauce sensations
How Sriracha and Lao Gan Ma achieved global cult status.
Hot sauce can inspire fervent passion in its devotees. Itβs a global obsession that translates to billions of dollars of sales a year. But with so many on the market, how do you create a taste that becomes a global hit? In this programme, Ruth Alexander explores the origin stories of two iconic brands β Sriracha and Lao Gan Ma. How did these sauces - born in humble circumstances in Vietnam and China in the 1980s - come to sit on dining tables around the world today? We explore their extraordinary stories and ask what their popularity tell us about changing global tastes.
If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.ukβ―
(Picture: Large red chilli. Credit: Getty/ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ)
Producer: Sarah Stolarz
Contributors
Stephanie Li, blogger and YouTuber at βChinese Cooking Demystifiedβ
Andrea Nguyen, cookbook author and publisher of Vietworldkitchen.com
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- Thu 5 May 2022 03:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Australasia, East Asia & South Asia
- Thu 5 May 2022 04:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Australasia, South Asia & East Asia only
- Thu 5 May 2022 10:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Thu 5 May 2022 21:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Thu 5 May 2022 22:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Sun 8 May 2022 07:32GMTΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except Europe and the Middle East
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Examining what it takes to put food on your plate
