Canarian cuisine runs on mojo verde over papas arrugadas and the islands' own pepper culture that gives the food its red and green ribbons. Malpais Hot Sauce, a craft kitchen run by Antonio Díaz Álvarez in Güímar on Tenerife, has taken Silver in BBQ Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition, with The Badlands BBQ.
[MAKER CONTEXT — needs fill from Antonio's materials: philosophy, range, scale. Antonio produces by hand in small batches in Güímar. Studied at Deutsche Schule, two years Maschinenbau in Aachen — bilingual ES/DE background, useful colour but only if Antonio wants it in. Range, distribution, years in operation: TBC.]
Nathan Austin on The Badlands BBQ:
[NATHAN QUOTE — needs fill. Per rule: name the distinctive. If Nathan has tasted, flavour note. If not, distinctive ingredient/technique/sourcing detail from Antonio's materials. Not to restate the lead.] – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
The Badlands BBQ (Silver, BBQ Chili Sauce): [SAUCE DESCRIPTION — needs fill from Antonio's materials. Two lines: one on how it's made (technique, ferment, base, anything distinctive), one on flavour inspiration (something eaten, a memory, a riff).]
[MAKER QUOTE — verbatim from Antonio, em dashes to commas if any] – Antonio Díaz Álvarez, Malpais Hot Sauce
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 ran over 200 sauces from across the continent through blind tasting this year, scored on five criteria by a deliberately mixed panel of chefs, sommeliers, critics and chilli specialists. BBQ Chili Sauce is one of the harder briefs in the schedule, asking a sauce to hold up under heat and char without losing aroma or balance.
"Silver in BBQ Chili Sauce from a Canarian kitchen is the kind of result EHSA exists to surface. Different climate, different pepper culture, same blind panel, and Malpais came through with a BBQ sauce strong enough to medal. We're watching what Antonio brings next year." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
The Badlands BBQ is available through Malpais Hot Sauce at malpaishotsauce.com. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=malpais.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
PRESS RESOURCES Reveal video on YouTube, embeddable: - BBQ Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/L5IhjgVIE4M Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qpaGxMYRjcxwMUhFB8Ege5kzKbByKYfj?usp=drive_link
ABOUT MALPAIS HOT SAUCE Malpais Hot Sauce is a craft hot sauce kitchen in Güímar on Tenerife, founded and run by Antonio Díaz Álvarez. [ABOUT FILL — years in operation, range, distribution. From Antonio's materials.] The range, including The Badlands BBQ, is available at malpaishotsauce.com.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription designed to show off the flavours coming out of Europe and help solve the distribution problem independent makers face. Founded June 2025 in Berlin by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked craft sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU each month. Press partner of the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026. republicofheat.com.
PRESS CONTACT Press: Republic of Heat, on behalf of European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
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