Buffalo sauce is called “Buffalo” sauce because it was first created in the city of Buffalo, New York, not because it has anything to do with the animal bison.

Quick Scoop

  • The name comes from Buffalo (the city in upstate New York), where the now‑famous style of spicy wings was invented in the 1960s.
  • Teressa Bellissimo at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo is widely credited with tossing fried chicken wings in a mix of hot sauce and butter, which became “Buffalo wings” and, by extension, “Buffalo sauce.”
  • So when people say “Buffalo wings” or “Buffalo sauce,” they’re really talking about the Buffalo, NY bar snack style: cayenne hot sauce plus butter (and a few extras) on crispy wings.

In short: it’s a hometown shout‑out to Buffalo, New York—not a reference to actual buffalo.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.