Buffalo Sauce's History

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Unlike many beloved dishes which have murky origins and historic debates on who should receive credit, the humble Buffalo sauce does not court such controversy. Its clear origin is traced to the historic Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York in the 1960s. (Many incorrectly assume that Buffalo sauce's origins are earlier!)

The legend goes that the bar's owner, Teressa Bellissimo, was hosting friends of family and, strapped for ingredients, made hot wings glazed with a 2-ingredient sauce made of butter and vinegar-based hot sauce. It was enormously popular and grew to be a well-loved American condiment, and eventually just a flavor applied to various spicy orange-colored foods.

Homemade vs. Storebought

A true Buffalo sauce can be made of just butter and hot sauce, but store-bought varieties come pre-blended and tend not to separate as readily as the homemade kind. It all depends on how you'd like to use it.

Whether for traditional chicken wings or to flavor otherwise-tame ingredients (looking at you, chickpeas!), buffalo sauce is a useful condiment to keep in your refrigerator for when the mood strikes. Check out these Jow recipes using Buffalo Sauce for some initial inspiration.

Go get a glass of ice water, it's about to get hot in here! 🔥

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