http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaoo7w28s3o
I am a committed Tabasco Sauce fiend. It is neither too hot, nor too mild, nor too vinegary — I put it on pretty much everything. I’d use it for contact lens solution if I could. My life was radically transformed by my discovery of tiny, individual Tabasco sachets that aviation security X-rays don’t identify as liquids, which means I can carry Tabasco with me at all times without worrying about getting stopped at airports for not having a stupid baggie with my liquids in it.
I found this video describing the production of Tabasco absolutely riveting. The fermentation process, the salted barrels, and let us not forget le petit baton rouge.
(Thanks, Fipi Lele!)