The reason pepper sauce was so popular in the middle to late 19th C was the lack of refrigeration. Meat had to be eaten fresh and sometimes the almost carrion quality needed to be flavored, so to speak. Ice was often a luxury during the warm months and edibles were often stored underground, or in the "coolest" location available. Remove the "greenest" portion and sauce up what was for supper. Gold Rush mining camps are littered with pepper sauce bottles.