Hot and spicy foods tend to have the nation split, we either love them or hate them. Here at PenniBlack we can cater to any palette, including those who enjoy the wilder side of culinary experimentation.
From your relatively tame jalapenos to the fiery depths of habaneros, scotch bonnets and ghost peppers, the world’s ten spiciest dishes below will have even the most accomplished heat connoisseur reaching for a pint of milk.
Recognised as the spiciest dish on the planet, those who attempt to eat the fiery Phaal Curry are often required to sign a form before eating (essentially so they won’t sue the restaurant if something goes terribly wrong). It contains 10 different types of peppers, including the infamous bhut jolokia, the world’s hottest pepper.
Right behind the Phaal is a Thai offering; Tom Yum. This sour and spicy soup is often laden with chicken and seafood and is loved for its aromatic taste. However, Tom Yum packs a punch when it comes to raw heat, provided by the Thai Bird’s Eye Chilli, which has a Scoville ranking equivalent to a habanero or scotch bonnet pepper.
What may appear as an innocent salad bequeathed with olives, boiled eggs, and a thick sauce is one of Peru’s spiciest dishes. Loved my Peruvians, Papa a la Huancaina is relatively tame until you get to the Huancaina sauce which is laden with Amarillo chilli peppers.
Used to spice up beef and chicken stews in Ethiopia is Sik Sik Wat. This thick and fragrant paste is made with chilli peppers, paprika, and fenugreek. Some even eat the paste in its natural state upon a crepe-like pancake known as Injera bread.
The spiciness of Huo Guo is due to the Sichuan pepper oil used. The very tasty, but palette destroying dish from China contains a number of raw ingredients, from fish and beef, to tofu and vegetables.
This popular Korean dish is an all-around sweat-inducing experience. This offering of kimchi contains tofu, mushrooms, green onions, garlic, and countless red chilli peppers. Some restaurants do offer Kimchi Jjigae at a tolerable spice level, but most will serve it tongue-scorching and bubbling.
A favourite with tourists, Indonesia’s Samba Oelek can either be used as a rub or eaten as a dish itself. Visitors are often left guzzling water as the cayenne, habanero, bird’s eye chillies, and Spanish peppers take effect.
All the finest Caribbean ingredients go into Jerk Chicken, cloves, cinnamon, spring onions, nutmeg, thyme, and garlic. However, let’s not forget the spice. Rarely will you find authentic Jerk in the UK but, when you do, you will know about it. Laden with all spice and scotch bonnet peppers, use the rice as a buffer if you cannot handle the heat.
Traditionally made with pork shoulder, Griot with Sauce Ti Malice is one of Haiti’s hottest dishes. The meal is drenched in Haitian hot sauce which is comprised of apple cider vinegar, spicy pickled peppers, and minced scotch bonnet or habanero chilli peppers.
Hot pot dishes are popular throughout Mongolia but none come close to Sichuan. Most of recognise Sichuan from visiting Chinese restaurants but we advise indulging in a Mongolian hot pot with trepidation. Raw pieces of meat, garlic, onion, and vegetables sit in a scorching hot broth laden with Sichuan peppers.