Hot Sauce & Pepper Glossary

Your complete reference for hot sauce and chile pepper terminology. From cultivation to consumption, master the language of heat.

A

Acetic Acid: Acid produced during fermentation, gives vinegar-based sauces their tang.

Aftertaste: Lingering heat and flavor after swallowing hot sauce.

Ají: South American term for chile pepper.

Anaheim: Mild green chile (500-2,500 SHU), California favorite.

Ancho: Dried poblano pepper, sweet and mild (1,000-2,000 SHU).

Annuum: Species including jalapeños, bell peppers, cayenne (Capsicum annuum).

Aroma: Scent of hot sauce or fresh peppers.

Árbol: Bright red, nutty Mexican chile (15,000-30,000 SHU).

B

Baccatum: Pepper species including ají amarillo (Capsicum baccatum).

Base: Primary ingredients of hot sauce (peppers, vinegar, etc.).

Bird’s Eye: Small, extremely hot Thai chile (50,000-100,000 SHU).

Brine: Salt-water solution used in fermenting peppers.

Buffalo Sauce: Cayenne-based hot sauce mixed with butter, popularized by Buffalo wings.

Burn: Sensation of heat from capsaicin.

C

Calabrian Chili: Italian pepper, fruity and moderately hot (25,000-40,000 SHU).

Capsaicin: Chemical compound creating heat sensation in peppers (pronounced cap-SAY-ih-sin).

Capsaicinoid: Family of compounds including capsaicin creating heat.

Capsicum: Genus of pepper plants.

Carolina Reaper: World’s hottest pepper 2013-2023 (1,400,000-2,200,000 SHU).

Cayenne: Long red pepper, common in hot sauce (30,000-50,000 SHU).

Chinense: Species including habanero, Scotch bonnet, ghost pepper (Capsicum chinense).

Chipotle: Smoked jalapeño, earthy and smoky (2,500-8,000 SHU).

Cilantro: Herb commonly used in fresh green sauces.

Conching: Rare in hot sauce; stirring/grinding to develop flavor (more common in chocolate).

Criollo: Term for local/native pepper varieties in Latin America.

D

Datil: Florida pepper, sweet and hot like habanero (100,000-300,000 SHU).

Dehydrator: Appliance for drying peppers.

Destemming: Removing pepper stems before processing.

Dried Chile: Pepper dried for storage and different flavor.

Drizzle: Light application of hot sauce.

Dulce: Sweet (often describes mild peppers).

E

Endorphin Rush: Natural high from body releasing endorphins in response to capsaicin.

Extract: Concentrated capsaicin added to ultra-hot sauces (often listed in SHU millions).

Extra Hot: Informal term for very spicy sauces (100,000+ SHU).

F

Fermentation: Process using beneficial bacteria to preserve peppers and develop complex flavors.

Filler: Ingredients like carrots or tomatoes used to bulk sauce and balance heat.

Finishing Sauce: Hot sauce added after cooking, tableside.

Fire-Roasted: Peppers charred over flame for smoky flavor.

Flakes: Crushed dried peppers.

Fresno: Red jalapeño-like pepper, slightly hotter (2,500-10,000 SHU).

Frutescens: Pepper species including tabasco (Capsicum frutescens).

G

Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia): Extremely hot Indian pepper (800,000-1,000,000+ SHU).

Green Sauce: Hot sauce made from green (unripe) peppers or tomatillos.

Guajillo: Mild dried Mexican chile, fruity (2,500-5,000 SHU).

Güero: Yellow pepper (generic term for various yellow chiles).

H

Habanero: Very hot, fruity orange pepper (100,000-350,000 SHU).

Heat Level: Measurement of spiciness, typically in Scoville units.

Heirloom: Open-pollinated pepper variety passed down through generations.

Hot Fill: Bottling hot sauce at high temperature for shelf stability.

Hot Pepper: Any chile pepper with significant capsaicin content.

Hybrid: Pepper created by cross-breeding two varieties.

I

Immersion Blender: Hand-held blender useful for hot sauce making.

Infused Oil: Oil with peppers steeped for heat and flavor.

J

Jalapeño: Most popular medium-hot pepper (2,500-8,000 SHU).

Jamaican: Often refers to Scotch bonnet pepper from Jamaica.

K

Kahm Yeast: Harmless white film sometimes forming on ferments (skim off).

Korean Chili Flakes (Gochugaru): Coarse red pepper flakes used in Korean cuisine.

L

Lacto-Fermentation: Fermentation using lactobacillus bacteria, creates lactic acid.

Lactobacillus: Beneficial bacteria used in fermenting peppers.

Lactic Acid: Preservative acid produced during fermentation, gives tangy flavor.

Louisiana-Style: Thin, vinegar-forward hot sauce (Tabasco, Crystal, Frank’s).

Lubrication Theory: Using sauces to enhance food moisture and flavor delivery.

M

Mash: Ground pepper mixture, especially fermented.

Membrane (Pith): White tissue inside pepper holding seeds, contains high capsaicin.

Mild: Heat level typically under 2,500 SHU.

Morita: Smoked red jalapeño, similar to chipotle but fruitier.

Mouth Burn: Immediate heat sensation when hot sauce hits palate.

Mulato: Mild dried poblano, chocolate-like flavor (2,500-3,000 SHU).

N

‘Nduja: Spreadable Italian salami with Calabrian chilies.

New Mexico: State pepper variety, mild to medium (0-5,000 SHU depending on type).

Nitrile Gloves: Protective gloves for handling hot peppers (better than latex).

O

Oleoresin: Capsaicin extract used in industrial hot sauces and pepper spray.

Orange Habanero: Classic habanero color and variety.

Oxidation: Exposure to air causing flavor changes (usually undesirable in hot sauce).

P

Pasilla: Dried chilaca pepper, mild and raisin-like (1,000-2,500 SHU).

Passata: Tomato purée sometimes used in hot sauce bases.

Pepper Mill: Grinder for dried pepper flakes or peppercorns.

Pequin/Piquin: Tiny, very hot Mexican pepper (30,000-60,000 SHU).

pH: Acidity measure; hot sauce should be below 4.6 for safety.

pH Meter: Device measuring acidity for safe sauce preservation.

pH Strips: Paper strips indicating acidity level.

Pimiento/Pimento: Sweet red pepper, no heat (0 SHU).

Pith: See Membrane.

Placenta: Botanical term for membrane inside pepper.

Poblano: Large, mild green chile (1,000-2,000 SHU).

Powder: Ground dried peppers.

Pubescens: Pepper species including rocoto (Capsicum pubescens).

Q

Queso: Cheese (often paired with mild hot sauces).

R

Red Savina: Habanero cultivar, once world’s hottest (200,000-500,000 SHU).

Reducer Cap: Bottle cap controlling sauce flow.

Rehydrate: Soaking dried peppers in warm water to reconstitute.

Rind: Pepper skin.

Ristra: String of dried peppers, traditional decoration and storage.

Roasting: Charring peppers to add smoky flavor and ease skin removal.

Rocoto: South American pepper resembling bell pepper, very hot (30,000-100,000 SHU).

S

Salsa: Spanish for sauce; typically chunky, fresh sauce with tomatoes/tomatillos.

Salsa Macha: Mexican oil-based salsa with dried chiles and nuts.

Salsa Verde: Green sauce from tomatillos and green chiles.

Sambal: Indonesian chili paste or sauce.

Sauce Consistency: Thickness or viscosity of hot sauce.

Scoville Heat Units (SHU): Standard measure of pepper heat.

Scoville Scale: System for rating pepper heat from 0 (bell pepper) to 2,000,000+ (superhots).

Scotch Bonnet: Caribbean pepper similar to habanero (100,000-350,000 SHU).

Seed: Pepper seed (contains less capsaicin than membrane, contrary to popular belief).

Serrano: Medium-hot green pepper, brighter than jalapeño (10,000-25,000 SHU).

Shelf-Stable: Hot sauce that doesn’t require refrigeration when sealed.

Shishito: Mostly mild Japanese pepper, occasional hot one (50-200 SHU, rarely 1,000+).

Smoke: Flavor from smoking or roasting peppers.

Sriracha: Thai-style garlic chili sauce, moderately hot and sweet.

Superhot: Peppers over 1,000,000 SHU.

T

Tabasco: 1) Pepper variety (30,000-50,000 SHU); 2) Famous Louisiana hot sauce brand.

Taco Sauce: Mild, tomato-based sauce for tacos.

Thai Chili: General term for small, hot Thai peppers (50,000-100,000 SHU).

Tincture: Capsaicin dissolved in alcohol, extremely concentrated.

Tomatillo: Green tomato-like fruit used in salsa verde.

Trinidad Scorpion: Extremely hot pepper with scorpion-tail shape (1,200,000-2,000,000 SHU).

Tuong Ot: Vietnamese chili sauce (sambal-like).

U

Ultrasonic Cleaner: Device using sound waves to clean equipment (rare in home sauce-making).

Umami: Savory flavor, fifth taste; can be present in fermented sauces.

V

Varietal: Specific type or cultivar of pepper.

Vinegar-Based: Hot sauce using vinegar as primary liquid (Louisiana-style).

Volatile Compounds: Aromatic molecules creating pepper fragrance.

W

Wax Pepper: Hungarian yellow pepper, medium heat (5,000-10,000 SHU).

Wiri Wiri: Small Guyanese pepper, berry-like (100,000-350,000 SHU).

Woozy Bottle: Classic 5oz hot sauce bottle shape.

X

Xanthan Gum: Thickener used to prevent sauce separation.

Xinjiang: Chinese pepper-growing region.

Y

Yellow Wax: See Wax Pepper.

Yuzu Kosho: Japanese condiment with yuzu citrus and chili.

Z

Zest: Citrus peel, sometimes added to hot sauce for brightness.

Quick Reference: Heat Levels

Common Hot Sauce Styles

• Louisiana: Thin, vinegar-forward (Tabasco, Crystal)
• Buffalo: Cayenne + butter (Frank’s RedHot style)
• Sriracha: Thick, garlicky, sweet-hot (Huy Fong)
• Salsa Verde: Tomatillo-based, green, fresh
• Habanero: Fruit-forward, very hot
• Chipotle: Smoky, thick, moderate heat
• Caribbean: Fruity, mustard-based, scotch bonnet
• Asian Chili Paste: Thick, garlicky (sambal, gochujang)

Master this vocabulary and you’ll navigate hot sauce discussions, understand pepper varieties, and make informed choices about heat levels. Keep this glossary handy for your spicy adventures!