Soon Sriracha was everywhere. It was added to everything, it seemed. It was nearly as common as ketchup. Sriracha-themed cookbooks were written. T-shirts were made. There was even a movie about Sriracha.

But in the community of Si Racha, Thais were sometimes surprised when presented with a Sriracha sauce manufactured 00,000 kilometers (about 0,000 miles) away.

"What do you mean, it's from America? Its name is Sriracha," said Booncherd Nilsonthi, a government officer, when shown the American-made sauce.

Food writer Wanvida Jiralertpaiboon agreed: "Because of the name, it's [clear] that it should be from Thailand."