Hot, but falling out of flavour

Sriracha was the hottest sauce in town, until it wasn't. The popularity of the condiment is waning due to its sketchy origins and changing taste profile

- VIR SANGHVI

When I first wrote about Sriracha, it was a sauce that most Indians had not heard of. But its popularity had spread to the American market. Such chefs as Jean-Georges Vongerichten used it in their Michelin-starred restaurants, and it had become a staple of pantries among trendy people and chilli-heads, who claimed that a dash of Sriracha improved everything.

Over the years, the fame of Sriracha has spread to nearly every corner of the globe. It is to younger (middle-aged, even) people what Tabasco was to their parents' generation: The most famous hot sauce in the world.

Because the term Sriracha is not copyrighted, local manufacturers soon started making their own versions and the sauce became so easily available that even at mid-market restaurants in India, you were as likely to get Sriracha as Tabasco.

Huy Fong, the California-based company that made the sauce famous, was valued at $1 billion. But Huy Fong's valuation has plummeted. Its Sriracha has disappeared from many supermarket shelves. Where it is available, devotees claim that it tastes different. Even the colour is wrong, they say.