Sriracha really got trendy about a decade ago in North America, particularly the Huy Fong brand – they’re still selling sriracha socks in bookstores here. However, while that brand was started by a Vietnamese emigrant to the United States, sriracha is actually named after the Thai town of Si Racha (alternatively spelled Sriracha). The sauce’s origins are a bit murky, with differing claims, but with general consensus that it originated in the town. There are all kinds of brands and varieties of the sauce, with the Thai version being a bit runnier than the North American kind, but they all are made with hot chilies, garlic, vinegar, salt and sugar.

The town of Si Racha is a small place, on the coast south of Bangkok, with a pretty waterfront and lots of green space. There seems to be a large Chinese and Japanese population in the town, and of course, a lot of focus on the famous sauce.