Watch CBS News

A journey to the island where Tabasco is made

On assignment for 60 Minutes, Sanjay Gupta travels “back in time” to the Tabasco company's private island in the bayous of Louisiana
A journey to the island where Tabasco is made 05:26

"They say when you arrive on Avery Island, 'Welcome to the island, now set your watch back 100 years,'" Sanjay Gupta told 60 Minutes Overtime. "That's sort of the way they look at things."

Avery Island is a private stretch of land in the bayous of Louisiana where Tabasco sauce is made. Since 1868, the company has been run by descendants of Edmund McIlhenny, the creator of the famous hot sauce. Gupta visited the island on assignment for 60 Minutes in March.

"There aren't many things that you can point to and say, 'That is uniquely American,'" Gupta said. "Tabasco is something that probably you'd put on the list."

In this week's 60 Minutes Overtime, Gupta takes viewers along on his journey to Avery Island, where he cruised along neighboring marshes in an airboat, encountered gators and rare birds, and joined the "first family" of Tabasco for a traditional Cajun seafood boil, complete with crawfish, crab, vegetables and of course, Tabasco sauce.

Having grown up eating spicy food at home, Gupta expected the assignment to be "easy" for him. That clearly wasn't the case, as you'll see in the above video. While touring the Tabasco factory, Gupta was overcome by fits of coughing, sweating, and watering eyes.

Since his visit to Avery Island, Gupta says he can't help but look at a bottle of Tabasco sauce in a different light.

"It's inseparable, the story now for me, of Tabasco, and the taste of the product itself," Gupta said. "I don't know that something could taste better because you know the story of it, but it sure seems like it."

Editor's Note: This segment was originally published March 16, 2014

cctobasco1920.jpg


View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.