When you headquarter your business in Colorado and when that business is spices, it’s not often you can source locally grown items. Not because we don’t want to but because spices predominantly grow in more tropical climates. Chile peppers, however, are one exception. So I was intrigued when my buddy Troy Cone, of Colorado’s MM Local Foods, contacted me about a locally grown, chile pepper byproduct of their Sriracha Sauce production.

Savory Spice Founder Mike Johnston

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When he brought me a sample, I knew the second it hit my tongue that we had to share this flavor with our Colorado customers.
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The process of making sriracha leaves these chiles with a fermented, umami-like flavor, balanced with infused salt that remains. It’s truly a unique and tantalizing flavor combination. The heat level is quite tolerable, similar to our Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, about a 3-4 on a scale of 1-10.  The huge bonus? These Portuguese chiles were grown at Full Circle Farms in Longmont!

We snagged up all the chile byproduct from this year’s MM Local Foods sriracha production, which ended up being a few hundred pounds. Then we ran them through our grinders and sieves to convert them into chile flakes and Portuguese Fermented Chile Flakes were born! They won’t be around long, so if you want try a new, unique chile flavor…you’d better hurry. When you enjoy these chiles, you’ll be supporting three Colorado companies. How’s that for reducing your carbon footprint?!

What do they taste like?

The fermented flavor of these Portuguese Fermented Chile Flakes makes them a natural pairing for almost any Asian dish but they’re so much more than that.

Sprinkle on eggs, hummus, pizza, or stir-fries. Add spiciness to burgers, marinades, sauces, soups, and stews. The possibilities are endless! Use about ½ tsp to equal one small dried chile. The heat level is quite tolerable, similar to our Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, about a 3-4 on a scale of 1-10.

How can you get some?
Portuguese Fermented Chile Flakes are available online and at select locations while supplies last.

Locations carrying this product:

CALIFORNIA

• Costa Mesa
• Santa Rosa
• Sonoma
• Palm Desert

COLORADO

• Aurora - Southlands
• Boulder
• Colorado Springs
• Denver - Platte Street
• Denver - Lowry Town Center
• Fort Collins
• Littleton

FLORIDA

• St Petersburg

NEW MEXICO

• Santa Fe

NEBRASKA

• Omaha

NEW JERSEY

• Westfield

NORTH CAROLINA

• Charlotte
• Greensboro

OKLAHOMA

• Oklahoma City

OREGON

• Portland
• Bend

PENNSYLVANIA

• Peddler's Village

TEXAS

• Austin

WASHINGTON

• Seattle - Alderwood Mall