I thought it was inflation, but nope - sambal oelek & sriracha prices

[Zeno Marx]

I haven't used either sambal oelek & sriracha for a while. I've never been a huge sriracha fan anyway, but today, I was in the mood. I used to pay around $4 for a 28oz squeeze bottle. Today, $9+. I didn't buy any because that was so extreme that I thought maybe it was just the store. Mentioned it to an acquaintance, and they said that the company, Huy Fong, got in an argument with their peppers supplier, switched to another supplier, then the Mexican farms under that supplier suffered from severe draught, and any sriracha is in demand because of the shortage of supply. That's mostly why it more than doubled in price. I guess all sriracha has shot up in price because of the drought in Mexico, not just the good stuff. Just so happens that Huy Fong also makes the best sambal oelek, so its price is also high.

Just another reason to keep using gochujang. Good thing I prefer it over the three, though I'll probably try my hand at making my own sambal oelek at some point. I've wanted to do that for a while anyway.

 

[Timbo]

Yep, had heard similar from foodie friends about a pepper shortage impacting Sriracha.

I've made my own sambal a few times and am planning on smoking a big batch of chillies over the weekend to make more.

Hint, make it outdoors or have very good indoor ventilation, your sinuses and throat will thank me afterwards.

 

[lgoldberg]

I bought a bottle of Sriracha right before the shortage was announced. I'm set for a bit.