Tabasco

Just in case some strangers wander in, let me preface:

Last week my friend Emmy sent us a question to answer. Here is her e-mail followed by our separate answers:

Dear Sister Supper,

I need y’all to debunk or refute a cooking myth for me.

Now, granted, I did in the last year start a job at a towboat company, meaning I make occasional ventures down to Louisiana, but the fact is, most of the time there, I live in hotels and eat at various strip restaurants. It’s sad, I know.

So really, all I have to rely on for my resources for Louisiana cooking are the Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood book and movie, and the latest Disney movie, the Princess and the Frog.

Here’s my question – in BOTH movies, the clear, go to, emergency cooking staple that goes into every single recipe is TABASCO. What are you cooking? Let’s have a taste – NEEDS TABASCO. That Bloody Mary needs more Tabasco. HEY OTHER PERSON COOKING GUMBO, NEEDS TABASCO.

So, ladies, is Tabasco really the STAPLE of Louisiana cooking like some perhaps uninformed or cliché movies would lead me to believe?

As for us Kentuckians, well, we have a bottle of Tabasco on the stovetop…but we never have any food in the house and we rarely cook – so usually, we just eat Tabasco and saltine crackers. Think I’m making this up?

Sure am not.

Please advise me on how to be a more authentic Louisiana cook…assuming we live in a dream world of cookery where someday I learn how to make anything besides tacos and spaghetti.

Love,
EmmySuh




Kendra’s response:

MY ANSWER IS...Tabasco is not just a staple, it's a tradition. Our mothers used Tabasco as their go-to hot sauce and yes, everything you cook could always do with a hit of hot sauce. We like SPICY food, which is not at all a myth, but an absolute truth. We like food that will fuck you up. You will find a bottle of Tabasco on every restaurant table in Louisiana, next to the salt and pepper. Or, you should. If they don't have it out, ask for it, because they sure enough have it in the back.

HOWEVER. In my experience, the younger generation has begun experimenting with other hot sauces. Louisiana Hot Sauce rivals Tabasco in popularity. This is also happening with another Louisiana staple - Tony Chachere's seasoning. That is also found everywhere in the state - often on restaurant tables - but lately Slap Ya Mama and Zatarain's brands are catching up. Our Subway chains down here offer Zatarain's seasoning along with salt and pepper.

At our house, we regularly use Cholula (a Mexican imported hot sauce) for table use, but I keep my Tabsco on the stovetop for cooking. I find Tabasco has a vinegary taste to it that i don't like fresh out of the bottle, but cooked into food - particularly eggs - it's unbeatable. but if I need to add a dash of heat to my already prepared foods, I go for something with a more blended flavor.

My husband could drink Tabasco straight out of the bottle, though. I think he even did that once.

(Kendra's note: edited and updated with more hot sauce links than you could possibly want or need!)

And Krista’s response:

Yeah, what she said. I don’t like spicy food. I like food so hot it will kill me. I want to FEEL my food, I want my food to HURT. I am happiest when I am CRYING while I chew, when my nose is dripping into my plate, when my heart is threatening to explode because what the fuck is this? is this jalapeno or habanera or? My husband is so terribly embarrassed by this (he’s from north Louisiana – a bona fide Yankee, if you ask me). I can’t go to Subway without choking around a sandwich, but it’s so good.

I do keep the big bottle of Tabasco on my stove (y’all know – the BIG BOTTLE). It’s really good in eggs, yes, and oooh in cheese grits. Mostly I use it for soups and stews – I use almost half a bottle in my corn chowder because I know Will is so sick of it I get to eat the whole big pot by myself…so why not make it hot enough? I use it in stuff that’s going to cook awhile (chilis, crock pot meals) and I sometimes sprinkle it on pasta dishes.

Like my sister, I’m not a huge fan of the raw taste of it. I hate the smell of it. I’m more inclined to chop up any ol’ pepper and throw it in my ingredient list or sprinkle some red pepper flakes over whatever I’ve just cooked. But if I need heat in a pinch, it’s my go-to.

Kendra mentioned Tony’s as well – to me, THAT is more of a staple. In fact, Kendra once referred to Tony’s, salt and pepper as the holy trinity, and I like that. I put the HT on EVERYTHING. Literally EVERYTHING is better with Tony’s. I’ve tried other brands but I always go back to him.

As for being an authentic Louisiana cook? I would say add an onion, some garlic, and the Holy Trinity. You know my mama’s onion caveman story – and I know you hate them – but you gotta have an onion. They sell ‘em in the big bags for a reason!

And serve with rice.