[INFOGRAPHIC] 11 Things You Didn't Know About Tapatio Hot Sauce

By Gustavo Arellano Fri., Jun. 29 2012 at 7:00 AM

They're like peas in a pinche pod: Sriracha and Tapatío hot sauces. Vietnamese and Mexican. The Orange County future. But while the Sriracha story is well-known, the Tapatío tale is mostly a mystery, namely because the founding family likes it that way, preferring to stay away from the maddening crowds and concentrate on their product at their super-secret Vernon location.

Luckily, I was able to secure an interview with the Tapatío family for my Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America, and found many fascinating facts about them that the general public doesn't know. And here we go...and, yes: the banner says 10 things, but we're throwing in an extra fact just for the hell of it!

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Mexican food, Mexico

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9116

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guelph flower shops

the banner says 10 things, but we're throwing in an extra fact just for the hell of it!

Leola

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Jesse Jay from East LA

My godparents/grandparents are Mercedes and Antonio Gonzalez. I believe they owned Cali-Mex, on the corner of Hubbard and Kern, from 1967 to 1972 before selling it. The elder Saavedra would come in after work hours to grind his chiles and mix his hot sauce on the restaurant's machinery. My godparents charged him a tenth of what an industrial kitchen set-up would have cost him back then. He eventually moved his production plant to Maywood and eventually to Vernon. Funny anecdote, my godfather and my father had a business where they distributed snack foods to bars in several south Los Angeles cities (South Gate, Huntington Park, Lynwood, Inglewood, Compton). They also sold Tapatio so customers could put it on their snacks. When my relatives approached Saavedra about buying the cases of Tapatio, he magnanimously sold it to them at wholesale, for their good favor many years before.

9116

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JOHNJOHN138

I PUT THAT SH*T ON EVERYTHING!

DanGarion

Tapatio, Pico Pica, and Cholula all have a place at our house, but Cholula is the one that gets used the most.

Beto

Valentina!

Bill T.

Cholula, Tapatio, ..., pretty much anything but Tabasco.

Dweezle.Di

Tobasco is not Hot Sauce, It is Lousiana Peppers soaked in LOTS of vinegar! lol

kelowna flower shops

And here we go...and, yes: the banner says 10 things, but we're throwing in an extra fact just for the hell of it!

Rayann Castro

Tapatio always completes my office stash of snacks. Love it! :) Cool story...

Leo Briones

Personally, I think Tapatio is best on Cuban food. This is a great story of an immigrant entrepreneur. There are so many others. It is ironic that those on the Right vilify the same immigrants who make the best case for virtues of economic liberty.

Tapatio's founding should be added to Maywood's Wikipedia page! It will give Maywood a boost in its battle with Cudahy and Lynwood for most almost non-existent city in LA County!!

Love the graphics for #3 and #7

Bill T.

"tortilleria"

Mark Lindeman

I buy the stuff by the gallon (literally) and use it for all sorts of things. Chicken marinade, burrito topping or dip (mixed with sour cream), enchilada sauce and simply brushed onto Mission flour tortillas (Sorry Gustavo, but I live too close to Seacliff and there are no tortillarillas (sp?) near my place). I wish I could get El Toro Bravo's tortillas in the store; they are fantastic!