Ubiquitous Sriracha Sauce Now Has Its Own Documentary Film

Everybody loves condiments, but it's hard to imagine sitting down to a 33-minute documentary about one. Until, perhaps, we reveal that the condiment of choice is Sriracha, the punchy hot sauce that inspires cult-like levels of devotion the globe over.

Sriracha is a Kickstarter-funded documentary by Griffin Hammond that follows the rise of the ubiquitous 'rooster sauce'  in America after a Vietnamese refugee named David Tran decided to make his own version of the sauce, which originated in Thailand but is also popular in Vietnam as a condiment for pho. Tran founded Huy Fong Foods in 1980, and since then the company's revenues have grown by at least 20 percent every year — amazingly, without advertising.

The documentary mainly consists of interviews with Tran, as well as several die-hard Sriracha fans. According to reviews, there's some interesting trivia in there and it does give you an insight into the company and its founder. But it's also been described as "one long Sriracha commercial" due to its lack of non-Sriracha-loving subjects.

There's some anxiety among Sriracha lovers following the recent partial shutdown of the main Huy Fong factory in California. Combined with a new 30-day freeze on shipment, it's looking like a short-term shortage may be a reality. Have fortitude, heat fiends.

You can watch the trailer for Sriracha below. The full documentary is available on Vimeo for $5.

Via the NPR blog.