Bicurious’ Taran Plouzané Gets Spicy with His Top Ten Hot Sauces & Foods

Bicurious are Gavin Purcell and Taran Plouzané, a confused, loud two-piece from Dublin, Ireland. They’ve built a loyal fanbase through extensive touring and have won over crowds both at home and abroad, establishing themselves as a recognizable force on the European rock scene.

Having been digesting their recently-released second album, Your Life Is Over Now… through Big Scary Monsters, we discovered that Taran, besides being a music lover, is well into his hot sauces and spicy foods. The perfect recipe for a Top 10, so over to you Taran…

Taran Plouzané: “I’ve been obsessed with spicy food and hot sauce since my early teenage years. It’s common knowledge in my entourage, so much so that my extended family now only ever gift me either music-related or hot-sauce related goodies for Christmas. Which means I now own half a dozen books on hot sauce that I’ve never read. With all that in mind, I thought, why not put together a list of my favourite hot sauces and other spicy foods that I’ve come across over the years?”

10. Red Jalapeños (in a jar)

“I’m starting the list with a non hot-sauce item, but it’s a good one. Gavin (Bicurious drummer) first introduced me to these a few years back, I think it was one of the first times I went to his parent’s house. I love that house, more specifically that fridge. they always seem to be apocalypse-ready when it comes to their condiments. Hummus, pesto, hot sauce, all in abundance, always. Gav quickly brought my attention to these sweet little red beauties, which I only knew of in their green form. it was love at first bite. If you know, you know.”

Best on: Mexican food or any sandwich/burger

9. Flying Goose Sriracha Mayonnaise

“Again, not exactly hot sauce, but it’s a worthy exception. I had tried OG Sriracha sauce a few times, but something about the flavour never really did it for me. Then this thing came around in Irish supermarkets, and it changed the game. I believe it was one of the first affordable and readily-available VEGAN mayonnaise alternatives in Ireland, so it became a staple on the weekly shopping list. It’s a mild sauce, which makes it great for the family, too. I could finally share my passion for spice with my wife and kids. Unfortunately, they weren’t really into it, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.”

Best on: Burgers

8. Frank’s Red Hot

“A classic. Never my absolute favourite, but when you’re in the mood, it really hits the spot. Surprisingly hot, too! I lived at my grandparents’ house for a few years when I first moved to Ireland, and my grandad used to get this one for me as part of the weekly shopping. I couldn’t really complain.”

Best on: Wings, obvs.

7. LIDL Diavolo Pizza

“This is another bonus item on the list. Another product my grandad used to religiously buy as part of the weekly shop, it’s a very cheap frozen pizza available (at least back then?) from LIDL supermarkets. It was a kind of pepperoni pizza with added spicy pepperoni and what I think were sliced jalapeño or habanero peppers. Cheap as chips, relatively cardboardy, but OH MY GOD THE HEAT. I would only ever consume one when I came home from the pub during my college years in Dublin (which I will admit was pretty regularly). I needed the alcohol-induced anesthesia to survive that heat. It’s one that’s close to my heart, but would definitely not be very high on any actual food list, as, well, it’s a frozen pizza from LIDL.”

Best on: 5+ pints

6. Valentina Salsa Picante

“I believe this is also a classic. available in many countries, and rightly so. It’s on the thicker side, perfect for topping up the next bite of an already spicy burrito. It was one of the sauces available at Boojum, a burrito chain which started to really come to prominence in Dublin during my college years. It was the weekly treat on your lunch break.

Too expensive to get every day on a student budget, but I still managed to fill up my entire loyalty card and get myself a poorly fitting T-shirt (I guess the 50 burritos it took me to get it probably played a part). But I digress! I would add a few drops to the top of my burrito before every bite, and leave the place looking forward to my next visit. The good old days.”

Best on: Do I need to say it?

5. White Mausu Peanut Rāyu

“This is not exactly a hot sauce, but kind of is. If you’ve not heard of it, it’s essentially garlic, chopped peanuts and chili flakes bathing in oil. It’s amazing. I believe it’s an Irish company based in Dublin that makes it. I found it once at a local market, and quickly realised it’s the perfect spicy (about 6/10 heat) accompaniment for basically anything. Chips? Peanut Rāyu. Pizza? Peanut Rāyu. Bowl of rice? You guessed it. Try it if you haven’t already, it’s special.”

Best on: Pretty much anything

4. Louisiana Hot Sauce

“This is a weird one, because I’m basing this entry on a vague memory of a trip to Arizona to visit my uncle when I was thirteen. We were staying at a hotel near the Grand Canyon, and at the breakfast buffet, they had bagels, cream cheese and tiny little individual packets of sauce just labelled “Louisiana Hot Sauce“. After some research, it seems like there’s an actual company called that, but I guess it’s also a general hot sauce style made by a lot of different brands.

From what I remember, it’s quite liquid and vinegary with a heat of about 6/10 in my mind. Anyway, that morning, 13 year-old me must have ingested about 6 or 7 cream cheese bagels doused in that stuff. I kept coming back for more, having discovered a new passion for spicy sh*t. Those weird hotel rotating toasters made the experience all the more exciting.”

Best on: I’ve only ever had it on cream cheese bagels, so that.

3. Oula Hot Sauce Bajan Pepper

“This stuff is awesome on so many levels. First of all, it’s made just 5 mins from my apartment in Leipzig, by one dude, out of his apartment (I think). Second of all, it’s wonderfully sweet because of the mango flavouring. And finally, IT HAS MUSTARD IN IT. I’m actually not a huge mustard guy, but here, it makes all the difference. I don’t think I’ve ever come across mustard-based hot sauce before, but man, it’s a dream I can’t even begin to describe.

He uses scotch bonnets for the heat, brown sugar, and curry powder… Do I need to say any more? If you’re ever down these parts, you can find his sauces at a few local food markets in the West of Leipzig, or in a select few shops around the area. Or just go online. Do it.”

Best on: A vegan bratwurst

2. Chipotle Tabasco

“Now, this is where things get a bit competitive. I struggled to decide which sauce would clinch first place, because they’re both so close to my heart. If you’ve never tried Chipotle Tabasco, well, shame on you. It’s just the most amazing combination of sweet, smokey, acidic, fruity heat you’re likely to experience. My wife bought it for me once because she knows I love Tabasco, and I just couldn’t believe such a beautiful thing could exist. (the sauce is pretty good too, hehe)”

Best on: A chili sin carne

1. Original Tabasco

“There we have it. I honestly don’t think there was ever going to be a different winner. If you’ve ever tried anything spicy in your life, you’ve most likely tried Tabasco, so you know what I mean. It’s so simple, so tangy, so versatile, so compact, so aesthetically pleasing, so wonderful, and absolutely delicious. I believe it was also my very first introduction to the world of hot sauce: as a kid, I used to have dinner at my best friend Alan’s house maybe once a week.

His dad, one of the most terrifying men I’ve ever met (at least for a 9 year-old), would sit at the dinner table, in the darkest corner of the room, and slowly eat his steak, tapping a few drops of the stuff onto each little piece before gobbling it down. I’m more of a “pour it all over and dig in” kinda guy, but the dedication of grabbing the Tabasco bottle and adding some to every single bite of food you take… Respect.

Anyway, it stayed with me, and I asked my dad to get me some a couple years later. I remember coming home from a music festival with a few of my friends at 13/14, hungover, exhausted and cold. I stuck on a pot of canned tomato soup, and added about a quarter of a bottle of Tabasco into my bowl. The rest is history. (Oh yeah, and I have a Tabasco tattoo)”

Best on: Anything at all. Do try it on tomato soup, though, it’s pretty special.