If you’re a hot sauce enthusiast, then there’s a good chance you’ve tried Sriracha, a chili sauce that was created by Thanom Chakkapak from Si Racha, Thailand, in the 1930s. Decades later, David Tran would bring the spicy, thick condiment to the masses through Huy Fong foods and the rest is history.
The sauce has long been identified by its distinctly spicy, garlic & vinegar flavor with a touch of sweetness and of course its bright red color profile. It’s a wildly popular condiment brand, with 20 million bottles of the stuff being sold to hungry customers in 2022 alone.
However, due to supply chain issues and a recent drought in Mexico that has made securing the quantities of chili peppers needed to produce Sriracha difficult, it seems that Huy Fong has had to alter its recipe a bit in order to keep selling its beloved sauce to patrons all over the globe.
This resulted in a new formula that folks aren’t entirely sure that they’re fans of. Popular food TikToker Sovanna (@sovannascooking) decided to perform a taste test of the new formula compared to the original recipe that made it a worldwide condiment darling. She shares her thoughts in a viral clip that’s accrued over 460,000 views on the popular social media platform as of Tuesday morning.
@sovannascooking Replying to @Brian J Rodriguez Taste test on Huy Fong Sriracha hot chili sauce side by side comparison with the older version and the newer version. #fyp #huyfongsriracha #tastetest @sovanna ♬ original sound – sovanna
Sovanna begins her video by smiling into the camera. She holds two bottles of Sriracha in her hands, one that has the new formula, which appears to have a more orange tint to it in her right hand, compared to the original formula, which she grips in her left hand, and packs a more reddish hue.
“Hi guys, I’m going to do a taste test between these two Sriracha. One is the older version and the one on my right-hand side is the newer version. Just to see if the flavor is still the same. So here I go.”
Sovanna then takes the new formula bottle of Sriracha and sets it down on the table, uncapping it. She removes the protective lid and says, “I’m going to taste the newer version first.” She screws the sauce’s iconic green squirt cap onto the bottle in order to dispense some of its contents onto one of two spoons in front of her. She starts by putting the new formula Sriracha onto the metal spoon. “Ooh, that’s a lot she says, “so this is the newer version.” Sovanna then tastes it.
“Okay, I’m going to take a sip of water,” she says, bringing a tumbler to her mouth and gulping some of the liquid in order to complete a proper palate cleanse, before lifting the other bottle she was holding in her left hand at the start of the video. “Now I’m going to start with the older version,” she says. She unscrews the cap and then pours some onto the plastic spoon. Sovanna tastes it, ponders, then raises her eyebrows.
“So the result based on my taste, the older version tastes better than the newer version. And I’m going to compare the color, this is the older version,” she says, squeezing out some of it on a plate. She then swirls around the new formula Sriracha bottle and dumps some of it onto the white plate as well. “This is the newer version.” The older version has a bright red color and smooth texture. The newer version has a bright orange and grainy texture.
Sovanna then holds up the older version bottle in her left hand. “Here’s the winner,” she says. “Hopefully they bring back the good old flavor. Thank you for watching.”
A number of commenters agreed with Sovanna’s assessment of the two sauce formulas, and one person believes that the reason why Huy Fong isn’t able to create its original recipe anymore has more to do with its relationship with chili providers and less to do with supply chain problems.
“The older version is still not as good as the original version,” one viewer argued. “Sriracha needs to stop burning its bridges with their chili providers.”
Someone else recommended another brand folks might like if they’re not happy with Sriracha’s formula change. “Underwood ranches, original pepper grower has [their] own Sriracha now,” they wrote.
Another TikToker joked, “I have an unopened old version. selling for 2k. I know what I got.”
However, one user said that in spite of Sriracha’s formula changing for the worse, its new variant is still better than other offerings that imitate the sauce’s OG taste. “It tastes different, but still better than the off brand alternatives,” they claimed.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Huy Fong via email and Sovanna via TikTok comment for further information.
