Nashville Hot Sauce: A Unique Regional Flavor

What is Nashville Hot Sauce? What is the main ingredient?

a) Tomato-based sauce; Cayenne pepper b) Mayonnaise-based sauce; Hot chili peppers c) Mustard-based sauce; Brown sugar d) Vinegar-based sauce; Paprika

Final answer:

Nashville Hot Sauce is known for its unique regional flavor, influenced by various BBQ traditions. Its spiciness comes from capsaicin, which triggers receptors in the mouth to create the sensation of heat.

Nashville Hot Sauce is not listed among the options provided. However, in reference to BBQ sauces and their unique flavors, it's important to consider the regional differences in their recipes and ingredients. The Kansas City BBQ sauce, widely available in the US, is a sweet, dark sauce that has influenced many other sauces, while South Carolinians often prefer a mustard-based sauce. Each region, including East Carolina with its vinegar-and-hot pepper sauce and Louisiana with its cayenne pepper flavored sauce, has a distinct approach to BBQ flavorings, with Tennessee and California famed for their dry rubs instead of wet sauces.

As for why peppers containing capsaicin taste 'hot,' it is because capsaicin binds to the TRPV1 receptors in the mouth and throat, which typically respond to heat, resulting in the perception of spiciness or heat upon ingestion. Capsaicin does not actually contain 'heat' nor does it cause tissue damage as a corrosive substance would.