There have always been spicy condiments, especially in Chinese cuisine. But Spicy Chili Crisp from Lao Gan Ma is one of the first brands that popularized the idea of chili crisp in China. The iconic Lao Gan Ma product was created by a woman named Tao Huabi in 1984. She made her version of chili crisp at her noodle shop in China’s Guizhou Province. Eventually, in 1997, Tao began bottling her popular condiment and started the first mass production of it under Lao Gan Ma Special Flavor Foodstuffs Company in Guizhou. Lao Gan Ma’s Spicy Chili Crisp quickly became an essential Chinese pantry staple. Today, about 1.3 million bottles of the sauce are produced daily to be sold in China, America, Australia, and more than thirty other countries, according to the company’s website.
