Tabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana.[1] Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers (Capsicum frutescens var. tabasco), vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor. McIlhenny Company is in its fifth generation as a family business, and all 145 shareholders inherited their stock or were given it by a living family member.McIlhenny Company, the manufacturer of the internationally known TABASCO® brand products, has selected Gilsbar, Inc. to administer its self-funded medical and dental plans for its benefit plan participants. Gilsbar's medical management company, MedCom Care Management, will provide Utilization Review and Large Case Management services for the group.
According to Cecil Hymel, Vice President of Administration at the McIlhenny Company, "We were looking for a partner to provide innovative techniques -- reporting capabilities, medical management programs, and web-based tools -- for health and dental plan participants. Gilsbar's integrated solutions are going to help us offer an attractive benefits package for our employees, while effectively managing costs."
Tabasco Sauce is the juice of mashed Tabasco peppers, combined with vinegar and salt, aged in wooden casks for three years. Those peppers, like all chilies, are the fruit of a “capsicum” plant. “Capsaicin” is an alkaloid in peppers—the one that causes them to be hot.
While the folks on Avery Island in Louisiana proclaim their product merely to be a flavor enhancer, others point to health benefits seemingly bestowed by it as the result of its capsaicin base.
Corroborating the long-abandoned claim that Tabasco Sauce aids digestion, the Southern Illinois University website comments:
“Capsaicin...stimulates the actions of the muscles of the stomach and intestine, which improves digestion and makes chili peppers an attractive condiment for a food that might upset the stomach.”
A June 11, 2002 health column in Newsday—a Long Island, N.Y. newspaper owned by the Tribune Co. (as the L.A. Times is)—recited this question from a reader:
“My brother-in-law is addicted to hot peppers. He loves salsa and puts Tabasco [sauce] on everything. I can’t figure out how he avoids heartburn. Spicy foods give me indigestion, but he maintains that hot peppers are good for the stomach. How could that be?”
This answer was provided:
“Italian researchers wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine (March 21) reporting that red pepper powder in capsules reduced stomach ache, fullness and nausea by 60 percent. In comparison, a look-alike placebo reduced these symptoms by half as much.
Cornell University, on a website providing resources for science teachers, advises:
“It was once believed that capsaicin could burn out the lining in the stomach and cause ulcers. But this has been disproved. Studies have shown that low concentrations of the chemical can prevent stomach ulcers in rats and in humans. Researchers have found that capsaicin increases secretion in the stomach but does no harm. Ironically capsaicin is now used to relieve digestive distress.”
Here’s another tribute to capsicum as a digestive aid:
“When taken internally, capsicum is a powerful stimulant producing when swallowed in small doses, a sensation of warmth in the stomach, and a general glow over the whole body; hence in moderation it is very useful as a condiment....Taken in this way, it promotes digestion, and prevents flatulence.”
That comes from “Medicinal Plants” by Robert Bentley and Henry Trimen, a book published in London in 1880.
While the McIlhenny Company might have concluded in the early 1900s that it was simply not up to proving its health claim, it’s clear that the claim was not without longstanding support.
The pepper sauce that Edmund McIlhenny created in 1868 on Avery Island is much the same TABASCO® Sauce that is produced today, on that very same site. The basic recipe, the process by which it’s made, and the ingredients remain unchanged. And five generations of McIlhennys and employees have dedicated themselves to preserving its legacy.
Edmund McIlhenny was given seeds of Capsicum frutescens peppers that came from Mexico or Central America. And he first planted them on Avery Island, Louisiana, over 140 years ago. Today, just as then, when the peppers reach the perfect shade of deep red and are at their juiciest, they are carefully picked by hand. (Young peppers are green, then turn yellow, orange, and, finally, deep red as they age.) When in doubt, pickers can gauge the color by comparing it to a small wooden dowel, “le petit bâton rouge,” painted the preferred hue of TABASCO® red.
In 1965, McIlhenny Company ran out of room on the Island and starting growing additional peppers in Latin America. (All the seeds are still grown on Avery Island before being sent to Latin America, where they are planted and grow into peppers.) When those peppers are harvested, they’re shipped back to Avery Island for the next step in the process.
This spicy sauce is basically made from red peppers, vinegar and salt. The hot peppers are picked as soon as they ripen to the perfect shade of red. They are then mashed and mixed with Avery Island salt on the same day that they are picked. The mixture is then placed in a wooden barrel and allowed to age for about three years. Once fully aged, the sauce is then mixed with high grain vinegar and the pepper seeds and skin are strained out. It is now ready to be bottled for distribution.
This now world renowned sauce came about when a banker and plantation owner named Edmund McIlhenny had to flee his home during the Civil War. The Union Army invaded his state and took over his plantation. After the war was over, Mr. McIlhenny returned home and discovered that his mansion and plantation were plundered. He needed to start over and build a source of income for himself and his family.
The only thing that survived the plundering was a crop of capsicum hot peppers. Mr. McIlhenny was determined to make the peppers his livelihood. So he developed a spicy sauce using the peppers, vinegar and the Avery Island salt that was found in abundance on his land. He then packaged the sauce in fancy cologne bottles and sent samples to wholesalers.
One of the people that got to sample this new sauce was General Hazard. He passed the sauce to his brother, who was the largest wholesale grocer in the United States. The orders then started to come in and Edmund McIlhenny now had a full time commercial pepper sauce business.
But the distribution of Tabasco sauce did not stop in the United States. Seeing the possibility of a world market, McIlhenny opened an office in London to expand to the European market. It is said that even Queen Elizabeth uses the Avery Island sauce on her lobster cocktail.
So what started out as a devastating event for the McIlhenny family turned into a very profitable business. This Louisiana sauce has become a common household condiment that is used in a variety of dishes. It is even used in drinks, such as a Bloody Mary. The McIlhenny family still runs the worldwide operation from their Avery Island, Louisiana home.
UCSF Medical Center is one of the nation's top 10 hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report. We are recognized throughout the world for our innovative patient care, advanced technology and pioneering research. For more than a century, we have offered the highest quality medical treatment.
Today, our expertise covers virtually all specialties, from cancer to women's health. In addition, the compassionate care provided by our doctors, nurses and other staff is a key to our success. We receive countless letters of gratitude from patients and their families, a true measure of the valuable and caring service we provide.
According to Cecil Hymel, Vice President of Administration at the McIlhenny Company, "We were looking for a partner to provide innovative techniques -- reporting capabilities, medical management programs, and web-based tools -- for health and dental plan participants. Gilsbar's integrated solutions are going to help us offer an attractive benefits package for our employees, while effectively managing costs."
Tabasco Sauce is the juice of mashed Tabasco peppers, combined with vinegar and salt, aged in wooden casks for three years. Those peppers, like all chilies, are the fruit of a “capsicum” plant. “Capsaicin” is an alkaloid in peppers—the one that causes them to be hot.
While the folks on Avery Island in Louisiana proclaim their product merely to be a flavor enhancer, others point to health benefits seemingly bestowed by it as the result of its capsaicin base.
Corroborating the long-abandoned claim that Tabasco Sauce aids digestion, the Southern Illinois University website comments:
“Capsaicin...stimulates the actions of the muscles of the stomach and intestine, which improves digestion and makes chili peppers an attractive condiment for a food that might upset the stomach.”
A June 11, 2002 health column in Newsday—a Long Island, N.Y. newspaper owned by the Tribune Co. (as the L.A. Times is)—recited this question from a reader:
“My brother-in-law is addicted to hot peppers. He loves salsa and puts Tabasco [sauce] on everything. I can’t figure out how he avoids heartburn. Spicy foods give me indigestion, but he maintains that hot peppers are good for the stomach. How could that be?”
This answer was provided:
“Italian researchers wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine (March 21) reporting that red pepper powder in capsules reduced stomach ache, fullness and nausea by 60 percent. In comparison, a look-alike placebo reduced these symptoms by half as much.
Cornell University, on a website providing resources for science teachers, advises:
“It was once believed that capsaicin could burn out the lining in the stomach and cause ulcers. But this has been disproved. Studies have shown that low concentrations of the chemical can prevent stomach ulcers in rats and in humans. Researchers have found that capsaicin increases secretion in the stomach but does no harm. Ironically capsaicin is now used to relieve digestive distress.”
Here’s another tribute to capsicum as a digestive aid:
“When taken internally, capsicum is a powerful stimulant producing when swallowed in small doses, a sensation of warmth in the stomach, and a general glow over the whole body; hence in moderation it is very useful as a condiment....Taken in this way, it promotes digestion, and prevents flatulence.”
That comes from “Medicinal Plants” by Robert Bentley and Henry Trimen, a book published in London in 1880.
While the McIlhenny Company might have concluded in the early 1900s that it was simply not up to proving its health claim, it’s clear that the claim was not without longstanding support.
The pepper sauce that Edmund McIlhenny created in 1868 on Avery Island is much the same TABASCO® Sauce that is produced today, on that very same site. The basic recipe, the process by which it’s made, and the ingredients remain unchanged. And five generations of McIlhennys and employees have dedicated themselves to preserving its legacy.
Edmund McIlhenny was given seeds of Capsicum frutescens peppers that came from Mexico or Central America. And he first planted them on Avery Island, Louisiana, over 140 years ago. Today, just as then, when the peppers reach the perfect shade of deep red and are at their juiciest, they are carefully picked by hand. (Young peppers are green, then turn yellow, orange, and, finally, deep red as they age.) When in doubt, pickers can gauge the color by comparing it to a small wooden dowel, “le petit bâton rouge,” painted the preferred hue of TABASCO® red.
In 1965, McIlhenny Company ran out of room on the Island and starting growing additional peppers in Latin America. (All the seeds are still grown on Avery Island before being sent to Latin America, where they are planted and grow into peppers.) When those peppers are harvested, they’re shipped back to Avery Island for the next step in the process.
This spicy sauce is basically made from red peppers, vinegar and salt. The hot peppers are picked as soon as they ripen to the perfect shade of red. They are then mashed and mixed with Avery Island salt on the same day that they are picked. The mixture is then placed in a wooden barrel and allowed to age for about three years. Once fully aged, the sauce is then mixed with high grain vinegar and the pepper seeds and skin are strained out. It is now ready to be bottled for distribution.
This now world renowned sauce came about when a banker and plantation owner named Edmund McIlhenny had to flee his home during the Civil War. The Union Army invaded his state and took over his plantation. After the war was over, Mr. McIlhenny returned home and discovered that his mansion and plantation were plundered. He needed to start over and build a source of income for himself and his family.
The only thing that survived the plundering was a crop of capsicum hot peppers. Mr. McIlhenny was determined to make the peppers his livelihood. So he developed a spicy sauce using the peppers, vinegar and the Avery Island salt that was found in abundance on his land. He then packaged the sauce in fancy cologne bottles and sent samples to wholesalers.
One of the people that got to sample this new sauce was General Hazard. He passed the sauce to his brother, who was the largest wholesale grocer in the United States. The orders then started to come in and Edmund McIlhenny now had a full time commercial pepper sauce business.
But the distribution of Tabasco sauce did not stop in the United States. Seeing the possibility of a world market, McIlhenny opened an office in London to expand to the European market. It is said that even Queen Elizabeth uses the Avery Island sauce on her lobster cocktail.
So what started out as a devastating event for the McIlhenny family turned into a very profitable business. This Louisiana sauce has become a common household condiment that is used in a variety of dishes. It is even used in drinks, such as a Bloody Mary. The McIlhenny family still runs the worldwide operation from their Avery Island, Louisiana home.
UCSF Medical Center is one of the nation's top 10 hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report. We are recognized throughout the world for our innovative patient care, advanced technology and pioneering research. For more than a century, we have offered the highest quality medical treatment.
Today, our expertise covers virtually all specialties, from cancer to women's health. In addition, the compassionate care provided by our doctors, nurses and other staff is a key to our success. We receive countless letters of gratitude from patients and their families, a true measure of the valuable and caring service we provide.