1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff Lauren Bobibon here. The Tabasco Company was 3 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: founded in eighteen sixty eight in the rural community of 4 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: Avery Island in southern Louisiana. New Orleans. Banker Edmund mcilenny 5 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: used pepper plants of the Tabasco variety that's botanical name 6 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:26,280 Speaker 1: capsicum for tescans, abrought from Latin America. Those peppers make 7 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: Tabasco a little hotter than most other table sauces, which 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: are generally made from cayenne peppers, a varietal of the 9 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: species capsicumb annum, and which are medium hot. A capsicum 10 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 1: for tescans peppers are hot hot. Mcilenny called his creation 11 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: Tabasco Pepper Sauce, patenting the name. The hot sauce quickly 12 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:48,840 Speaker 1: gained popularity in America and Europe in the eighteen seventies 13 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 1: thanks to the recipes that the company created to use 14 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: with the sauce. It's now an important part of Louisiana's 15 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: famous cuisines, added to all kinds of savory dishes, sauces, dressings, 16 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: and even sweet eats like jelly beans and chocolate. Relatives 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: of the Maclonny families still round the company, and their 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: share of the U S Hot sauce market is now 19 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: seventeen point one percent, which is the largest in the country. 20 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: They produce seventy five thousand bottles a day, but the 21 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: pepper sauce production process has remained relatively unchanged over the 22 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: last hundred and fifty years. The field hands who originally 23 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: worked on Avery Island used what's known as le petipaon rouge, 24 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: or a little red stick to determine the Tabasca peppers ripeness. 25 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: The pepper had to match the color of the deep 26 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: red paint on the stick in order to be picked. Surprisingly, 27 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: despite technological advancement, the company still uses the sticks, as 28 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: workers still pick peppers by hand. So far, a machine 29 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: has not been developed that can make that determination on ripeness. 30 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: Versions of the red sticks are sold in Tabasca's gift 31 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,960 Speaker 1: shop too. Once the ripe peppers have been selected, they're 32 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: mashed and barrel aged for up to three years in 33 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: white oak barrels sourced from Bourbon distilleries. Nowadays, most of 34 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: the peppers are grown in parts of South and Central 35 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: America and Africa, but the pepper seeds all come from 36 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: Avery Island. These are then shipped overseas for growing. After 37 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: they're harvested, the peppers are ground, mixed with salt into 38 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: a paste, and shipped back to the island. Avery's abundant 39 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: natural salt reserves come in handy then, as a thick 40 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 1: layer of salt is placed on top of each sealed barrel. 41 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: The salt helps prevent microbial growth while the product ages. 42 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: This pepper mash is a whopping ten times hotter than 43 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: Tabasco's completed sauce. Each batch of mash is inspected by 44 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: a member of the maclenny family to confirm that the 45 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: color and aroma are just right. After the aging process, 46 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: the mash is mixed with vinegar and churned for about 47 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: three weeks. Then the liquid is strained and poured into bottles. 48 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: The flagship variety of the sauce berries in heat, usually 49 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,240 Speaker 1: between two thousand, five hundred and five thousand Scoville units, 50 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: which is a measure of spice level. As of this recording, 51 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,679 Speaker 1: the brand cells eight total varieties, including Haban, narrow Chipotle, 52 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: and Taracha, some of which may be hotter. Tabasco has 53 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: also been a part of military rations around the globe 54 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: and served to everyone from members of the British Royal 55 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: family to NASA astronauts. As of two thousand nine, at 56 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: any rate, mclennie was the only non British food company 57 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: that has a Royal warrant, meaning that Tabasco is the 58 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: official hot sauce of the Queen. You can also find 59 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: it on Air Force one and Yes on the International 60 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: Space Station. Today's episode is based on the article it 61 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: Wouldn't be Tabasco Sauce without the Red Stick on how 62 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: stuff works dot Com, written by Caroline you Banks. Brain 63 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: Stuff is production of iHeart Radio in partnership with how 64 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Clang. 65 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 66 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,360 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.