Arguably well cooked and flavorsome foods do not need to be smothered with pre-made, chemically infused sauces. Nonetheless, the liberal dolloping of ketchup and other sauces in part and party of many meals, especially burgers and hot dogs.
Tomato ketchup is the type of sauce that is universally popular and, in many regions of the world, Heinz is synonymous for ketchup. The H. J. Heinz Company is a U.S. processed foods company based in in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and with a history dating back to 1869. Heinz Tomato Ketchup first appeared in 1876 (“tomato” being the key word due to the availability of non-tomato based types of ketchup.) Ketchup is a sweet and tangy sauce, typically made from tomatoes, a sweetener, vinegar, and assorted seasonings and spices. It is the variations in seasonings and spices that give different brands of ketchup different flavors.
At present, Heinz offers two varieties from the main ketchup range: Hot Ketchup and Sweet Onion Tomato Ketchup. It also offers apparently more health varieties of the main ketchup brand, like Simply Heinz. These products contain sugar, in contrast to the main tomato ketchup which contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. Some studies infer that this ingredient contributes to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes. Heinz tomato ketchup, which contains 23.7g sugar and 3.1g of salt per 100g (according to The Ecologist magazine.)
Sriracha has become a popular flavor enhancer over the past few years. It is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. The name derives from city of Si Racha, in Chonburi Province of eastern Thailand. Here it was developed as a condiment for seafood dishes.
In the U.S., sriracha sauces have become very popular. The leading brand, according to The New York Times, is made by Huy Fong Foods, and it is popularly known as “rooster sauce” or “cock sauce.” in addition, various chains have added the sauce to their range of dipping sauce options. This includes such fine eateries as Applebee’s, P.F. Chang’s, Pizza Hut, Jack in the Box, Subway, White Castle, and Gordon Biersch.
Picking up on the U.S. consumers leanings towards the hot stuff, and wishing to keep a market share for the less-spicy tomato ketchup, Heinz are to launch their own version of the sauce. This will be branded as “Heinz Ketchup Blended with Sriracha Flavor.”
What should consumers expect? According to the website FoodBeast, quoting from Heinz, then “this exciting twist on a classic maintains the recognizable taste and consistency of America’s Favorite Ketchup, with an added kick from spicy chili peppers and garlic flavors.”
For those in the U.S., the product is now on sale in stores like Walmart and Target. Will you be buying some? Or, if you are outside of the U.S., do you want your local supermarket to stock some? Please use the comments section below.
