r/FermentedHotSauce

Tacos. Steak. Enchiladas. Soup. Breakfast. Burritos. Breakfast burritos. What doesn’t spicy green sauce go on?

I first started making homemade red and green salsas almost 20 years ago when a roommate got into it and proceeded to get me hooked. We were frequently buying all those commercial pre-made salsas you can find everywhere, in grocery stores, gas stations, pharmacies, etc.

I haven’t done one of these in a while. I got a new foodsaver and have been itching to do a vac bag ferment. I’m hoping this one has some nice color.
-habanero
-Thai chilies
-mango
-carrot
-garlic
-2.5% salt

First time saucer and I never had any real activity other than a bubble here and there. It smells good and it’s been about 2 weeks now. There is a white biofilm looking layer on some peppers and on the glass weight. Is that something I should be concerned about? Could I just send it and see how it sauces? I bought a salinity/Ph meter so I can check it I guess. Kind of at a stand still with this jar.

Know a festival not on the list? Leave a comment and we will update

Been to a festival? Share your photos, and your sauces in r/europeanhotsauce ! How was it?

Austria

• Sh*t Hot Fest Vienna, Liquid Market Cocktail Fest, Otto Wagner Area. 27 to 29 August. Globe-hopping hot-food, music and community festival. https://www.shthotfest.com/

France

• Fête du Piment d'Espelette, Espelette (Basque Country). 24 to 25 October. Long-running AOP pepper village festival, banda music, producers' market, traditional blessing of the peppers. http://www.espelette-paysbasque.com/cote_detente/fete-piment.php

Germany

• Berlin Chili Fest (Spring), Berliner Berg Brauerei, Berlin. 29 to 31 May. Berlin's biggest chili event, 50+ European hot sauce makers, Clifton Chili Club eating comp, EUHSA partner. https://www.berlinchilifest.com/
• Berlin Chili Fest (Harvest), Berliner Berg Brauerei, Berlin. 4 to 6 September. Autumn edition, harvest-season focus. https://www.berlinchilifest.com/

Ireland

• Irish Chili Festival, Marina Market, Cork. 27 to 28 June. Inaugural edition, free entry, Clifton Chili Club eating comp, Great Irish Pub Heat-Off. https://chilifest.eu/event/irish-chili-festival/

Italy

• Fiera Mondiale Campionaria del Peperoncino, Rieti. 28 August to 6 September. Ten-day chili trade fair in Lazio. https://www.fieramondialedelpeperoncino.com
• Peperoncino Festival di Diamante, Diamante, Calabria. 10 to 14 September. 33rd edition, biggest chili event in Italy, Italian Championship of Chili Eaters final, League of Fire European qualifier, free entry. https://www.peperoncinofestival.org/

Netherlands

• Sh*t Hot Fest Amsterdam, Lagerwal, Amsterdam Noord. 18 July, 13:00 to 19:00. Outdoor edition of the touring spice festival. https://www.shthotfest.com/

Portugal

• Festival Piri-Piri, Jardim dos Sentidos, Guia (Albufeira). 11 to 13 July. 2nd edition, 20 chili producers, eating contests, fire shows. https://www.portugal.fr/Le-Festival-Piri-Piri-revient-a-Albufeira-en-juillet.html

Spain

• ArdorFest (Feria del Picante), Meraki Gourmet, Donostia / San Sebastián. 8 to 9 June. Spicy-food fair, hot sauce vendors, patatas bravas, spicy tortillas, Chili Challenge eating contest. https://ardorfest.com/en/spicy-fair

United Kingdom

• Cheese & Chilli Festival, Christchurch. 16 to 17 May. https://cheeseandchillifestival.com/
• Cheese & Chilli Festival, Reigate. 30 to 31 May. https://cheeseandchillifestival.com/
• Cheese & Chilli Festival, Winchester. 6 to 7 June. https://cheeseandchillifestival.com/
• Cheese & Chilli Festival, Chichester. 20 to 21 June. https://cheeseandchillifestival.com/
• Cheese & Chilli Festival, Guildford. 18 to 19 July. https://cheeseandchillifestival.com/
• Great Dorset Chilli Festival, Stock Gaylard Estate, near Sturminster Newton. 1 to 2 August. One of the UK's biggest dedicated chili festivals. https://www.greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk/
• Benington Chilli Festival, Benington Lordship Gardens, Hertfordshire. 24 to 26 August. Bank holiday garden festival, 10am to 5pm. https://beningtonlordship.co.uk/69/Chilli-Festival
• Waddesdon Manor Chilli Fest, Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire. 5 to 6 September (verify on site). National Trust property. https://waddesdon.org.uk/whats-on/chilli-festival/
• Chilli Fest at Fulham Palace, London. 13 September. Free, suggested £3 donation. https://www.fulhampalace.org/whats-on/events/chilli-fest-2/
• Wiltshire Chilli Festival, Westbury High Street. 19 September. Street festival, Wiltshire Chilli Eating Contest, Chinese Fire Horse theme. https://wiltshirechillifest.co.uk/

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Dates not yet confirmed for 2026

• Belgium: Chili Fest Antwerp, Waagnatie Expo & Events. Annual early October (2025 ran 4 October). https://www.waagnatie.eu/en/calendar/chili-fest-antwerp/
• Bulgaria: Sofia Chilli Fest, Chilli Hills Farm, Lozen. Traditionally early October. https://www.sofiachillifest.com/en/
• Czech Republic: Chillibraní, Brno. Traditionally early September. https://www.chillibrani.cz/en/home-2/
• Denmark: Toftegaard Chilifestival, Gartneri Toftegaard, Vedskølle (Køge). Annual September. https://www.gartneri-toftegaard.dk/arrangementer
• Finland: Chilifest Finland, Tullikamarin aukio, Tampere. Traditionally mid-August. Run by Suomen Chiliyhdistys with Poppamies. https://www.chiliyhdistys.fi/
• Hungary: Kalocsai Paprikafesztivál, Kalocsa. Annual mid-September paprika festival. https://kalocsaipaprikafesztival.hu/
• Norway: Oslo Pepper Expo, Oslo. Billed as Norway's first chili festival. https://www.instagram.com/oslopepperexpo/
• Poland: Chili x Craft Fest, Szczecin. https://chilifest.pl/
• Switzerland: Festi'rouge, Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva. 2nd edition in preparation (2025 ran 6 to 7 September). Tomato and chili festival, ~200 varieties, Carolina Reaper eating contest. https://festirouge.ch/
• Turkey: Geleneksel Kaledavaz Biber Festivali, Kale (Denizli). Annual early August, celebrates PGI Kale pepper (2025 was 29th edition). https://www.kale.bel.tr/
• Turkey: Uluslararası Altın Biber Festivali (Golden Pepper Festival), Yenişehir (Bursa). Annual early September (2025 was 10th edition). https://www.yenisehir.bel.tr/
• UK: West Dean Chilli Fiesta, Chichester. Annual August event, UK's largest at ~25,000 visitors. Dates not yet on official site. https://www.westdean.ac.uk/gardens/events/chilli-fiesta
• UK: Scottish Chili Fest, Scotland. Announced for summer 2026, no venue or date public yet.

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What did we miss? Drop it below and we'll add it. This post gets updated as more dates land.

Ah, spring has sprung here in Georgia! And although the local strawberries are not quite ready, delicious berries from our wonderful neighbor to the south, Florida – my birthplace – are here in abundance and at reasonable prices.

If you’ve ever perused this site and the sauce recipe section, then you already know I’m a sucker for sriracha hot sauce (and specifically fruit sweetened sriracha). Sriracha, whether bought in the store or home fermented and sweetened with fruit, always proves to be a crowd pleaser and extremely versatile.

I see this filmy string swimming in my 2 week old ferment. Chillies, 3.5% salt brine, feijoa pulp, coriander leaves/stems, and garlic are it's components.

Will this need to be discarded? I will do so with a heavy heart if need be.

Shamefully I must admit I opened the ferment briefly to gaze at its surface, which demonstrated no powdery white filth indicative of obvious corruption.

Does this look like mold around the rim? I was very excited for this batch. Would you keep or discard?

I was planning on a Serrano green apple and jalepeno sauce :( figured I’d come to the experts before throwing it out!