Buddha wept…
A single tear tracing his cheek.
For in that moment his mind was all: everyone, everything, everywhere.
He had tasted endlessness.
All boundaries – here, there, past, present, pain, pleasure – dissolved into delicious, fiery light.
Awash in umami.
Buddha plucked up his courage, picked up his spoon…
And took another bite.
Three Degrees of Bliss
“We cannot be more sensitive to pleasure without being more sensitive to pain.”
–Alan Watts
We’re Ilan & David, French-American brothers bound by a passion for food – and particularly, spicy food.
That old family trend of transgenerational hot sauce addiction thing.
When David tasted one of his first batches of what was to become Buddha Wept, a tear rolled down his face. He groaned with pleasure.
“But you’re crying,” said his girlfriend.
He beamed back: “Yesh, but it’s so guuud!”
And to this day, we still can’t argue with that basic logic.
Yeah, this concoction is damn spicy. It’s also delicious.
Not just a hot sauce, but a pungent condiment which has made our way into much of our cooking.
But we soon realized that as many found the recipe addictive, not all were ready for the full-on spice experience.
And so, setting out on the adventure of making this product, our goal was simple:
to make this addictive flavor available to all practitioners of spicy foods, whatever their tolerance.
We wanted our beginner and intermediate Sotāpanna & Anāgāmi versions to sacrifice none of this flavor. We balance them out using “piment végétariens”, aka “seasoning peppers”, a capsaicin-less cousin of the habanero, with a very similar flavor profile. Zero heat, all flavor!
That being said, if you still find it hot, don’t sweat it: it’s all in your head.
Mind over Body
“”All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.
–Buddha
While Buddha smiles at the fragrant taste of the colorful triad of habanero peppers used in our recipe, he weeps of joy and elation – but maybe also from the tear-inducing properties of these spicy bastards.
But as Buddha wisely taught us: pain is an illusion.
In truth, capsaicin molecules bind to pain receptors on our nerves called TRPV1, especially present on the tongue (and the eyes, and… other sensitive areas). These receptors send a signal to the brain that tells you that the pepper is hot – effectively tricking your nervous system into believing it is being burned, when in reality there is no actual heat whatsoever.
Your brain simply doesn’t know the difference.
Talk about mind over body.
So why do we endure this?
It turns out, in response to the pain, your brain releases endorphins and dopamine.
Combined, these chemicals create a euphoric sensation, not unlike a “runner’s high”.
So free your mind. There is no burn.
Only flavor.
Blissful, sweaty flavor.
The 6th Flavour
“Yum.”
–also Buddha
We like to think Buddha Wept is as much a condiment as it is a hot sauce.
To us, habaneros are the perfect chilies – as flavorful as they are spicy.
For a pepper once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s hottest chili (a wildly inaccurate claim), the habanero is pungent like a citrus fruit, with a deliciously fresh, distinct flavor, hinting at notes of apricot, pear and apple.
We do our best to bless it with the gift of umami.
Also, you might have noticed: no vinegar.
In exploring ways to protect this condiment over time, our goal was to keep the flavors as pure as possible.
There’s a reason why: we use it all the time in our cooking.
Buddha Wept is our kitchen’s secret weapon. It saves bland rice, enhances existing sauces, makes grilled vegetables sing and enlivens dull cheeses. Spread it on toast with some avocado, fold an omelet around it, dip those dumplings in it, try it on chicken or lamb, in a burger, a burrito, on roasted potatoes or as a dip for fried veggies… Hell, we’re guilty of just using fresh bread to satiate a craving for some spicy yum-yum.
Here are a few other ideas that might trigger your fancy:
Puny pizzas?
Dump a few dollops into an olive oil dispenser, add a sprig of rosemary and warn your guests before they drizzle!
‘Nduja in a pinch?
Massage a tablespoon of sauce into some plain sausage meat, maybe throw in a little sage – thank us later.
Buy (or make!) some mayo and simply add a dab of you-know-what.
Make some home-made mayonnaise (or not), then simply add a dab of you-know-what.
Too hot to handle?
Just toss a spoonful into a can of coconut milk for a delicious, southeast-asian-leaning flavor bomb to pimp your veggies, rice or fish.
Boring tomato sauce?
Couple of slugs of this spicy nectar and boom! Flavorful arrabbiata for days.
Curry lacking fury?
You know what to do.
Chili con Fuego?
Sensing a pattern, here?
The Limits of Control
“The body cannot live without the mind.”
–Morpheus
Much like a burgeoning meditation practice will not yield immediate transcendence, the Buddha’s apprentice might not be fully ready to face the illusory nature of this fiery flavor.