Tabasco and buffalo sauce are two popular hot sauces that are commonly used to add spice and flavor to dishes. While they are both spicy condiments, they have some key differences in their ingredients, flavor profiles, heat levels, and origins.
What is Tabasco sauce?
Tabasco sauce is a brand of hot sauce made from tabasco peppers, vinegar, and salt. It is produced by the McIlhenny Company of Louisiana. Some key facts about Tabasco sauce:
- Made from tabasco peppers, which are a variety of chili peppers
- Also contains distilled vinegar and salt
- Aged for up to 3 years in white oak barrels
- Has a scoville rating of 2,500-5,000, making it a medium heat level
- Has a tangy, vinegar-based flavor with a strong red pepper kick
- Bright red in color
- Has been produced since 1868 on Avery Island, Louisiana
- Serving size is 1 tsp
- Typical uses include: hot sauce for food, ingredient in cocktails like the Bloody Mary
What is buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is a style of hot sauce that gets its name from the city of Buffalo, New York. It has the following characteristics:
- Made from hot peppers like cayenne or chili peppers, distilled vinegar, and spices
- Does not contain any tomato or ketchup like traditional hot sauce
- Typically thicker and creamier than Tabasco
- Has a buttery, tangy flavor
- Scoville rating of around 1,000-2,000, making it a mild-medium level of heat
- Bright orange or red-orange in color
- Commonly used as a wing sauce or dip for foods like chicken wings, chicken fingers, fries, and vegetables
Ingredients
The main ingredients in Tabasco and buffalo sauce are:
| Tabasco | Buffalo Sauce |
|---|---|
| Tabasco peppers | Cayenne peppers |
| Distilled vinegar | Distilled vinegar |
| Salt | Salt |
| N/A | Butter |
| N/A | Spices like garlic powder, onion powder |
As you can see, the main difference is that buffalo sauce contains butter and more spices, while Tabasco relies almost entirely on tabasco peppers and vinegar for flavor.
Flavor profiles
When it comes to taste, Tabasco and buffalo sauce are quite different:
- Tabasco – Vinegary, peppery, acidic, bright red pepper flavor
- Buffalo sauce – Buttery, creamy, tangy, savory spice flavor
Tabasco has an acidic, sharp pepper taste while buffalo sauce is richer, more buttery, and mildly spicy. Tabasco can taste sour from the vinegar while buffalo sauce gets some sweetness from the butter.
Heat and scoville rating
Scoville ratings measure the spiciness or heat level of peppers and hot sauces. The ratings work on a scale of 0 (no heat) to over 1 million (very hot).
Tabasco has a Scoville rating of 2,500-5,000 units, while buffalo sauce ranks around 1,000-2,000 units. This makes Tabasco a medium heat sauce, while buffalo sauce is mild-medium in terms of spiciness.
For comparison, here are Scoville ratings for other common hot sauces and peppers:
| Hot Sauce/Pepper | Scoville Rating |
|---|---|
| Jalapeno peppers | 2,500-8,000 |
| Sriracha sauce | 1,000-2,500 |
| Habanero peppers | 100,000-350,000 |
| Ghost pepper | 855,000-1,041,427 |
| Carolina Reaper pepper | 1,569,300-2,200,000 |
Origin and history
Tabasco and buffalo sauce have very different origins:
- Tabasco – Invented in 1868 by Edmund McIlhenny on Avery Island, Louisiana. Made there ever since.
- Buffalo sauce – Invented in 1964 at the Anchor Bar and Restaurant in Buffalo, New York by Teressa Bellissimo. Originated as a spicy wing sauce.
So Tabasco was invented almost 100 years earlier as a Louisiana-style hot sauce. Buffalo sauce came later specifically as a flavor for chicken wings, created in Buffalo.
Uses
While both are hot sauces, Tabasco and buffalo sauce are used in different ways:
- Tabasco – Used as a condiment for foods like pizza, eggs, hot dogs, chili, soups. Also used in cocktails like the Bloody Mary.
- Buffalo sauce – Primarily used as a flavoring and dip for chicken wings, fingers, fries, and vegetables. Not typically used in cocktails.
Tabasco is a general purpose hot sauce added to many foods. Buffalo sauce is almost exclusively used for chicken wings and similar finger foods.
Appearance
Visually, Tabasco and buffalo sauce look quite different:
- Tabasco – Bright red, thin consistency, transparent
- Buffalo sauce – Orange/red-orange, opaque, creamy and thicker consistency
Tabasco sauce is see-through bright red, while buffalo sauce is more opaque and orange-toned. Buffalo sauce also has a thicker, creamier texture from the butter.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts of Tabasco and buffalo sauce are compared below per 1 teaspoon serving:
| Nutrition Facts | Tabasco | Buffalo Sauce |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 0 | 12 |
| Total Fat | 0g | 1g |
| Sodium | 35mg | 125mg |
| Total Carbs | 0g | 1g |
| Protein | 0g | 0g |
Tabasco has almost no calories, fat, carbs or protein. Buffalo sauce contains some fat and sodium from the butter. Both hot sauces have negligible protein.
Price
Tabasco sauce is generally a bit more expensive than buffalo sauce. Some sample prices for a 5 oz bottle:
- Tabasco Sauce – $2.98-$3.48
- Buffalo Sauce – $1.98-$2.98
Of course, prices can vary by brand. But authentic Tabasco brand sauce comes at a premium price point compared to generic buffalo sauce.
Popularity
Both Tabasco and buffalo sauce are popular, but Tabasco edges out buffalo sauce in terms of worldwide popularity and sales. A few points:
- Tabasco is sold in over 195 countries and territories
- Around 750,000 bottles of Tabasco are produced daily
- Buffalo sauce is more regionally popular in the U.S., especially the Northeast
- Tabasco outsells buffalo sauce worldwide, but buffalo sauce is gaining ground
While buffalo sauce has its loyal fans, Tabasco is recognized globally as a hot sauce and has maintained popularity for over 150 years.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Tabasco and buffalo sauce are both spicy condiments, but have distinct ingredient profiles and flavor
- Tabasco is vinegary, pepper-forward while buffalo sauce is richer, buttery, and mildly spicy
- Tabasco has a thinner, transparent appearance while buffalo sauce is opaque and creamy
- Tabasco was invented in 1868, buffalo sauce came about 100 years later in 1964
- Tabasco is used globally on many foods, buffalo sauce is regionally popular for chicken
- While there are some similarities, Tabasco and buffalo sauce are considered two distinct styles of hot sauce
So in summary, no, Tabasco sauce and buffalo sauce are not the same thing. They have pronounced differences in ingredients, taste, appearance, origin, and usage. Both deliver spice and flavor, but offer their own unique hot sauce experience.