Imagine Stuzzi Hot Sauce as you would a fine wine – a zesty Italian enhancer with complexity and a profound sense of origin. This fiery creation came to life in 2021, when Carla Rza Betts and Richard Betts, a dynamic husband-and-wife team boasting extensive backgrounds in the beverage industry (Carla as a wine director turned winemaker, and Richard as a wine director turned partner and CEO of the spirits company Casa Komos Brands Group), embarked on a journey across the Alps. Their adventure led them to Klösterle, a charming eatery in Lech, Austria, where they connected with chefs Ethel Hoon and Jakob Zeller.
As the quartet delved into conversations about the culinary world over a meal, Richard proposed the idea of crafting a hot sauce. To their surprise, Ethel immediately embraced the concept. The following day, Hoon shared her grandmother’s Hainanese spice paste, revealing a shared love for fiery condiments that forged a strong bond among them. United by a vision, they set out to create a hot sauce in Italy that could complement a variety of dishes.
Their quest took them across Italy in search of the perfect peppers for their sauce. Ultimately, they selected a blend of dried Calabrian chilies, imparting earthy and deeply savory notes, and fermented Sicilian cayenne peppers. Carla explains, “The fermented peppers offer vibrant, lively, and assertive high notes.” The Calabrian chilies are carefully dried and soaked in distilled vinegar for a minimum of two weeks, while the fresh chilies are blended, combined with salt, and left to ferment for at least six months. Similar to winemaking, allowing flavors to develop naturally over time often yields the best results, as Carla notes.
The destoning process, akin to wine destemming, removes seeds from all the peppers to eliminate any unwanted bitterness, preserving only the aromatic and flavorful essence. Named Stuzzi, derived from the Italian word “stuzzicare,” meaning “tease,” this hot sauce boasts a subtle, fruity heat with just the right amount of punch. Stuzzi adapts effortlessly to any dish it accompanies, shining particularly bright in Italian fare such as rigatoni all’amatriciana.
For Carla, one of the standout qualities of this sauce is its deep connection to Italy. She reflects, “It’s fascinating how few hot sauces emphasize their peppers’ origins and the essence of terroir. Terroir plays a significant role. For Stuzzi, terroir adds layers of complexity, showcasing its unique character.”
To acquire Stuzzi Hot Sauce or locate a bottle in your vicinity, visit stuzzihotsauce.com. This article was originally published on Food & Wine.
