Price: $2.99
Spice is the spice of life, as the saying goes. One of my must-have items in my kitchen is the garlicy, vinegary, peppery, fire-in-a-bottle known as sriracha. Also known as "rooster sauce" for the rooster on the label, this sauce originates from Thailand and is common among many South-East Asian eateries. If you've ever eaten at a pho joint, then you've seen sriracha. What distinguishes this hot sauce from other common hot sauces you might have in your fridge and pantry is the tangy, garlic burn that creeps up on your tongue. It's a lot more intense than it initially lets on. It's tangy, it's spicy, it's garlicy, with a hint of sweetness. Simply put, it's fantastic.So, then, here we are with Trader Joe's entry to the sriracha fray. Actually, Trader Joe's Sriracha Sauce is the only competitor to the original that I know of. Nonetheless, it's here. So how does it stack up with the original? Let's start off with the obvious.
They're both red. They're both spicy. They're both named "sriracha." They both come with green caps. Unfortunately, that's where the comparison ends. Right away, I noticed the difference in both sight and taste. Trader Joe's sriracha is not like the original. To be triple sure, I asked my office-mates for their opinion. In fact, I solicited their thoughts through a taste test. Check out the pic below.
"A" has a much thicker consistency than "B." "A" has a distinct garlic taste, while "B" has a vinegar tone. Being the amateur sriracha connoisseurs that we are (not really), we knew right away which is the real deal. "A," the original sriracha sauce, won decidedly with an overwhelming 4 of 4 votes. It's not the biggest sample size, but it was good enough for me.
Save yourself $3 and pass on Trader Joe's sriracha sauce. Get the original and enjoy sriracha as it's meant to be.
