Valentina is a brand of "pourable"
hot sauce
Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of mass-produced hot sauce exist.
History
Humans have used chili peppers and other hot spices for thousands of years ...
manufactured by Salsa Tamazula, a company based in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, Mexico. The sauce, like the parent company's Tamazula hot sauce, is made with puya chilis from Jalisco state, similar to the
Guajillo chili
A guajillo chili or guajillo chile or chile guaco ( es, chile guajillo) is the dried form of the mirasol chili, a landrace variety of chile pepper of the species '' Capsicum annuum.'' Guajillos are the second-most commonly used dried chili in M ...
and known by the name ''guajillo puya''.
It is typically sold in 12.5-ounce and large (one-liter or 34-ounce) glass bottles, with a flip-top cap permanently attached to the bottle. The cap does not unscrew. The red shape on the label is an outline of the Mexican state of
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
. Valentina is described as thicker than
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco is an American brand of hot sauce made from vinegar, tabasco peppers ('' Capsicum frutescens'' var. ''tabasco''), and salt. It is produced by McIlhenny Company of Avery Island in south Louisiana, having been created over 150 years ago ...
and less vinegary, with more chili flavor.
It comes in two varieties: hot (900
Scoville Heat Units
The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers, as recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component.
The scale ...
) and extra hot (2100 SHU). The sauce is known for its use as a condiment on several Mexican foods, especially street fare, and its taste, not only for its
heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
. Valentina's ingredients are water,
chili peppers
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
,
vinegar
Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...
,
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
, spices and
sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate is the sodium salt of benzoic acid, widely used as a food preservative (with an E number of E211) and a pickling agent. It appears as a white crystalline chemical with the formula C6H5COONa.
Production
Sodium benzoate is commo ...
(as a
preservative
A preservative is a substance or a chemical that is added to products such as food products, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints, biological samples, cosmetics, wood, and many other products to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by ...
).
The sauce is named for
Valentina Ramírez Avitia
Valentina Ramírez Avitia (14 February 1893 – 4 April 1979) was a Mexican revolutionary and soldadera. She was known as "La Valentina" and "La leona de Norotal". She fought against the Federales in the Mexican Revolution at a time when women ...
, a Mexican revolutionary.
See also
*
List of hot sauces
This is a list of commercial hot sauces. Variations on a company's base product are not necessarily common, and are not always included.
Scoville heat ratings vary depending on batch. However, many companies do not disclose numeric ratings for ...
*
Scoville heat scale
*
References
External links
Official website
Brand name condiments
Mexican sauces
Hot sauces
Products introduced in 1954
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