If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then it’s no surprise that there’s a fair share of knockoffs when it comes to everyone’s favorite hot sauce — that green-capped, clear-bottled, rooster-on-the-label-of-a-gem: Sriracha.

But now it seems that there are fakes cropping up all over. While we don’t know how the fake version tastes, the counterfeit Sriracha is easy to spot, according to Eat Drink & Be Merry blogger Dylan James Ho.

First off, the bottle boasts a blue cap — a clear fake. And secondly, there isn’t even a rooster on there — there’s a unicorn (magical, but not even close to the original Huy Fong Foods Inc. brand Sriracha.)

The Huy Fong Foods Incorporation has reported that the sauce is often poorly imitated — and has even gone as far as suggesting surefire ways to ensure that you’ve got the real deal in your hands. Straight from the company:

1. That taste is not identical to our product.

2. Below the green cap of our bottles, there is a protruding plastic ring, which is the same diameter of the green cap. The counterfeit product’s ring is much smaller.

3. Our product’s batch code consists of two lines printed with a laser etcher, which produces a clear, colorless imprint. The first line states the product/batch code (must start with an H) and the second line states the expiration date. The counterfeit does not have a product/batch code but has an expiration date that may be either be printed in black ink or hot-stamped resulting in a colorless, blurry imprint.

4. Finally, our bottle has ‘Huy Fong USA’ embossed on the bottom of our bottle. The counterfeit does not.”

Ho found the counterfeit condiment in Little Saigon near Los Angeles, but we haven’t managed to get our paws on this phony yet. Have you seen this knockoff Sriracha before? Let us know in the comments.

H/T Artifacting + PicThx Eat Drink & Be Merry

Jennifer LaiTwitterFacebook

At the ripe age of three, Jennifer Lai sampled dishes as diverse as foie gras, jellyfish, and chicken feet. She was born Canadian, hails from Los Angeles, and lived in Berkeley and Chicago before moving to New York, where she now resides and writes. She spends at least one night a week compulsively roasting vegetables and re-watching episodes of Good Eats -- sometimes at the same time.