Lao Gan Ma facts for kids
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| Alternative names | LAOGANMA |
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| Type | Chili sauce |
| Place of origin | Guizhou, China |
| Created by | Tao Huabi |
| Invented | 1984/1996 |
| Main ingredients | Chili peppers |
| Lao Gan Ma | |||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 老干妈 | ||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 老乾媽 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | old godmother | ||||||||
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Lao Gan Ma (Chinese: 老干妈), also known as Old Godmother, is a very popular brand of chili sauces from China. This tasty sauce is sold in China and in more than 30 other countries around the world. Lao Gan Ma is famous for making Chinese chili oil and chili crisp toppings well-known in Western countries. It has even inspired many chili-based toppings in American Chinese cuisine.
Contents
The Story of Lao Gan Ma
The story of Lao Gan Ma began with a woman named Tao Huabi. She is said to have created the sauce in 1984. In 1989, she opened a noodle restaurant in Guiyang, a city in Guizhou, China.
Tao Huabi noticed that her customers really loved her special hot sauces. Because her sauces were so popular, she decided to change her restaurant. She turned it into a shop just for selling her delicious sauces, especially her chili oil sauce. In 1994, she started a small factory to make her sauces. She hired 40 people to help her.
Protecting the Brand
When Lao Gan Ma became successful, other companies tried to copy it. They made similar products with packaging that looked almost the same. Tao Huabi worked hard to protect her brand. She wanted to make sure that only her company could use the "Lao Gan Ma" name.
In 2001, a court in Beijing decided that other companies could not use the "Lao Gan Ma" name or copy its packaging. This was a big win for Tao Huabi. Later, in 2003, her company officially received the trademark for "Lao Gan Ma." This meant her brand was legally protected.
Tao Huabi owns the company. Her son, Li Guishan, became the first president. By 2011, the company was very successful, with many employees. The company that makes the sauce, Laoganma Special Flavour Foodstuffs Company, was officially started in 1997. By 2022, Lao Gan Ma sauce was easy to find in many places outside of China.
Changes to the Recipe
After 2016, sales of Lao Gan Ma in China went down for a couple of years. Some people thought this happened because the recipe changed in 2011. When Tao Huabi's son took over, the type of chili pepper used was changed. They switched from Guizhou Chili to Henan Chili.
Guizhou chilies are larger and have more water. This makes them great for hot sauce because they add a special aroma, not just spiciness. Many people felt that Lao Gan Ma lost its unique flavor after the change to Henan chilies. In 2019, Tao Huabi became the manager of the company again. After that, Lao Gan Ma switched back to using Guizhou chili peppers.
Product Flavors
Lao Gan Ma makes many different flavors of chili sauce. Some popular ones include Spicy Chili Crisp, Chili Oil with Black Bean, Fried Chili in Oil, Hot Chili Sauce, and Spicy Bean Paste. These products are based on traditional chili sauces from Guizhou cuisine.
Factories
There is a Lao Gan Ma factory in the town of Changmingzhen, located in Guiding County. This factory opened during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in China.
See also
