# Hot Honey, Pizza's New Drizzle, Has Ancient Mesoamerican Roots
Canonical URL: https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/trend-desk/hot-honey-pizza-ancient-roots
Answer-first summary: Hot honey is the 2026 condiment boom in a jar — sweet, heat, and glaze in one spoonful. But chili-and-honey is ancient: Mesoamerican cooks paired Capsicum heat with honey long before pizza. The modern branded jar traces to Mike's Hot Honey in Brooklyn, 2010.
Primary topic: hot honey 2026 trend
Published: 2026-07-03
Updated: 2026-07-03
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- Alt text: Jar of hot honey with chili flakes and a wooden dipper, golden honey with red flecks
- Visual description: Hot honey fuses ancient sweet-heat with a 2026 condiment boom.
- Caption: Hot honey fuses ancient sweet-heat with a 2026 condiment boom.
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## What's happening
Hot honey has moved from a single Brooklyn brand to a 2026 condiment category — drizzled on pizza, fried chicken, cheese boards, and roasted vegetables. 2026 trend coverage places it among the sweet-heat condiments defining the year [1]. The appeal is that it concentrates sweet, heat, and glaze into one spoonable jar.
## The history behind it
The category is modern, but the idea is old. Honey is one of the oldest human sweeteners [2], and chili peppers originated in the Americas, where cooks combined fruit, honey, smoke, and Capsicum heat in drinks, sauces, and ritual foods [2][3]. The modern branded hot honey most often traces to Mike's Hot Honey, founded by Mike Kurtz in Brooklyn in 2010 after he encountered chili honey through a Brazilian beekeeping connection.
## Why it matters
The food-history value of hot honey is that it makes an ancient pairing portable. A 2026 condiment boom is, underneath, a centuries-old Mesoamerican sweet-heat idea in a new jar. For the full history of hot honey, honey, and chili peppers, see the articles below.
## How to use it
Hot honey is a finishing condiment, not a cooking oil, so use it where its sweet-then-hot contrast lands on something salty or creamy. The classic move is a drizzle over pepperoni or flatbread pizza right out of the oven; biscuit-and-fried-chicken, toast with ricotta, a cheese board, roasted carrots, and vanilla ice cream all work too. A little goes far. To make a quick version at home, warm honey with Calabrian chili or red pepper flakes and a splash of apple cider vinegar, then strain; store it at room temperature, because the honey keeps the chili from spoiling. For the full histories of hot honey, honey, and the chili pepper, read below.
## Sources & References
1. “Flavour trends 2026.” FoodNavigator (2026) https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2026/04/09/flavour-trends-2026/
2. Alan Davidson “The Oxford Companion to Food.” Oxford University Press (2014)
3. “chili pepper.” Encyclopaedia Britannica (2024) https://www.britannica.com/plant/chili-pepper
Related canonical pages: [Hot Honey](https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food/hot-honey) | [Honey](https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food/honey) | [Chili Pepper](https://thefoodthatshapedus.com/food/chili-pepper)