Tongue Numbing Dishes

Hot peppers are what spice up food. The Carolina Reaper is one of the hottest peppers in the world. Others include habarneros, Scotch bonnets, ghost peppers, serranos, chiltepin peppers and Sichaun peppercorns.

Europe

England (Pictured above)

Phaal Curry found its way to Birmingham, England by way of Bangladesh. It is considered to b e one of the spiciest curries in the world. The tomato base includes ginger, fennel seeds and copious amounts of chile, habanero or Scotch bonnet, peppers. At any time this curry can include as many as ten pepper types inslucing bird's eye chilies and ghost pepper.

Italy

Arrabbiata in Italian means angry. This then is an angry plain penne pasta that is a garlic and tomato-based dish with pepperoncino (red chile pepper) giving its fiery flavor.

Asia

China

Sichuan hot pot is a dish prepared with flavorings like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and Sichuan peppercornds. Depending on what you prefer the pot can include chicken, pork, lamb, duck, seafood, and seasonal vegetables. The soup base is boiled chicken stock.

Chairman Mao’s braised pork belly is a dish made by braising chunks of pork belly with soy sauce, dried chilis and spices.

Mapo tofu spicy Sichuan peppercorns give this dish its fire. It is made with ground beef or pork and a spicy fermented bean paste called doubanjiang.

India

Chicken Chettinad this spicy dish includes locally sourced spices like star anise, pepper, kalpasi (stone flower) and marati mokku (dried flower pods). The chicken pieces are simmered in a medley of roasted spices and coconut.

Vindaloo is a spicy dish that can be made with pork, beef, chicken, or lamb. The fire in the curry comes from ghost pepper flakes and Scotch bonnet peppers.

Indonesia

Ayam betutu is a popular dish to the Bali and Lombok Islands. A whole chicken is stuffed with an aromatic spicy paste that is made with fresh hot chili pepper, galangai, a root similar to ginger, candlenuts, shallots, garlic, turmeric, and shrimp paste. Then the chicken is wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.

Indonesia and Malaysia

Beef rendang is a curry that originated in West Sumatra. It is prepared with beef, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, star anise, and red chili.

South Korea

Dakdoritang is a comforting chicken stew that includes bone-in chicken pieces and for flavor gochugaru (Korean chili powder) and gochujang (Korean chile paste) mixed with rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and sesame oil in a braising sauce.

Thailand

Sam Tam comes for norteastern Thailand's Isaan province. It is a fiery salad with the main ingredient being green unripe papaya julienne or shredded. It is tossed with long or green beans, tamarind juice, dried shrimp, fish sauce, and sugar cane paste and for the heat bird's eye chilies.

Pad ka prao is similar in Thailand to a sandwich or burger. The dish consists of ground pork, spicy Thai chili peppers and holy basil. Once cooke this can be topped with a fried egg with a runny yolk.

Africa

Ethiopia

Doro wat is a spicy dish that include a spice blend known as berebere which consists of chili peppers, basil, cardamom, garlic and ginger. The spicy chicken stew has a tomato base and is topped with boiled eggs.

Nigeria

The Scotch bonnet pepper is the star of Egusi soup. This is Nigeria's famous spicy soup. The soup is prepared by pounding the seeds of an egusi melon which is an indigenous West African fruit. The melon seeds thicken and add texture to the flavor of the soup which contains meat, seafood, and leafy vegetables. The soup is made in a large pot and includes beef, egusi, ground crayfish, rosted fish, sliced ugu (fluted pumpkin) leaves, Scotch bonnet peppers, and salt to taste. For the bouillon of the soup a medium-sized stock fish head.

Mozambique and Angola

The spicy dish Piri-piri chicken was introduced by the Portuguese. African chilies are combined with European ingredients. The chicken is marinated in chilies, olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs like basil and oregano. The term piri-piri means pepper pepper and the red pepper with the same name is what adds the heat to this dish. The piri-piri sauce is made with chopped peppers and garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, white port wine, and flavoring of fresh cilantro, salt, and black pepper. The chicken is baked covered in the sauce and can also be grilled.

Senegal

Maafe is a spicy tomato and peanut or groundnut based stew, It includes beef, lamb, or chicken along with potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables. It gets its heat from Scotch bonnet peppers.

North America

Mexico

Shrimp aguachiles is a raw, marinated shrimp dish. Marinate the raw shrimp with ingredients including lime juice, cilantro, red onion and cucumber. The heat comes from the chiltepín peppers (they look like bright little berries), grown throughout the United States and Mexico.