BackEat & Drink » Food Culture » America's Favorite Condiment, Sriracha, Is Not So Hot in Vietnam

America's Favorite Condiment, Sriracha, Is Not So Hot in Vietnam

After making its name in the United States, the rooster-branded hot sauce is trying its luck in Vietnam.

Huy Fong Food’s made-in-the-USA Sriracha sauce has been spotted in a number of grocery stores in Ho Chi Minh City, the Los Angeles Times reports. Concocted by David Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1980, the heat-packed, tangy-sweet condiment has become a staple in many chili-obsessed Asian-American households, and even appears in many steakhouses and burger joints.

But in Tran’s native land, “the rooster sauce” has gotten off to a slow start. After all, sriracha isn’t remotely Vietnamese, and locals have many other ways to indulge their craving for spice. And, amid a sea of Cholimex and Thai-branded versions, an unfamiliar flavor that costs as much as US$5 per bottle may make consumers think twice.

“Some people have gotten used to eating Sriracha with pho, but I don’t see it pushing out the other chili options in the Vietnamese kitchen,” Andrea Nguyen, who has written plenty on Vietnamese food, told the Times. “Sriracha is not synonymous with Viet cooking. It’s a Thai condiment.”

That said, at least 57,000 bottles of the sauce have been sold through a Vietnamese client since last April, according to Huy Fong Food’s distributor, C. Pacific Foods.

[Photo via The Huffington Post]

 


 

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After establishing its name in the United States, the rooster-embellished hot sauce has made its journey back to Vietnam.


Huy Fong Food’s made-in-the-USA sriracha sauce has been spotted in a number of grocery stores in Ho Chi Minh City, LA Times reports. Concocted by David Tran, a Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1980, the heat-packed, tangy-sweet condiment has become a staple in many chili-obsessed Asian-American households and even appeared in steakhouses and burger joints.


But in Tran’s native land, “the cock sauce” has got off to a slow start. After all, sriracha isn’t remotely Vietnamese, and the local population still has many other ways to indulge their spicy craving. And, amid a sea of Cholimex and Thai-branded versions, an unfamiliar flavor that costs as much as US$5 may make consumers think twice.


“Some people have gotten used to eating Sriracha with pho, but I don’t see it pushing out the other chili options in the Vietnamese kitchen,” Andrea Nguyen, who has written plenty on Vietnamese food, told the LA Times. “Sriracha is not synonymous with Viet cooking. It’s a Thai condiment.”


That said, at least 57,000 bottles of the sauce have been sold through a Vietnamese client since last April, according to Huy Fong Food’s distributor, C. Pacific Foods.


[photo via  ]



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