Hot for Hot Sauces

As a young girl, I remember watching my grandfather eat pickled chile peppers to go with his jook (a rice congee soup) for breakfast.  I was obsessed about trying these little red peppers, but was always told that I couldn't eat them until I'm older.  Finally my grandfather let me tried some which I was not a fan at first since it was so spicy; but it left a memorable impression.  In time, I would experiment in eating different chile peppers and hot sauces.  I love the way the capsaicin hits the mouth then a rush of spicy flavor explode on my palate.  Once I acquired the taste of spicy hot sauce and chiles, I wanted more.  For me, I love a good balance of heat and flavor in a hot sauce.  It is now one of my favorite condiments.  I put hot sauces on practically everything!

That's why I am super excited for the First Annual NYC Hot Sauce Expo this weekend.  It is a two day festival featuring all the delicious hot sauces in North America.  The weekend promises to be filled with live music, plenty of food, drinks and the best hot sauces.  I was lucky to attend the media event at Jimmy No. 43 and tasted first hand some of the delicious hot sauces the expo has to offer.  I also tasted some delicious food offering to go with the hot sauces.  Jarlsberg cheese's in-house chef prepared some delightful grilled cheese sandwiches to mellow out our tasted buds.  At the same time, a group of impressive judges were busy tasting over 75 hot sauces that are competing in various categories of the best hot sauces.  Even though I love hot sauces, I was not envious of their job that evening; however I am eager to find out the winners.  So don't miss the hottest event this weekend and come join in on the hotness!  You can get your tickets here: http://nychotsauceexpo.com/tickets.html