Spicy meals are highly subjective and is not a one-size-fits-all type of cuisine. Some people might react to food that's spicy the main thing on the tastebuds, leaving half of one's face tingling. Others might react to a spice level that feels as though it's slowly eating away at one's the esophagus and stomach lining – in either case, it's different for everybody.
It might be debated the whole day why a lot of people thoroughly benefit from the sense of flames and fury emanating off their food, but that is not what we're here for. What we should can perform, however, is direct spice lovers to the spiciest places on earth – and we aren't talking when it comes to romance.
With first, second, and runner-up places, here's where spice lovers could possibly get their food sweat on.
To begin with: Mexico
When it comes to cuisines which are fortified with spice and flavor, Mexico undoubtedly arrives on the top. This country's cuisine continues to be consistant in the spice level for hundreds of years, making great use of any type of chile pepper that can be roasted, dried, mashed, or mixed into a sauce or perhaps a dish. And also to be clear, we're not referring to Tex-Mex – we're talking about authentic, traditional Mexican cuisine, something lots of people haven't tried abroad itself.
While some may argue that Mexico's food is not as spicy as it may be, once again, it is the consistency and diversity of its spice levels which are key to its reigning title. People to its restaurants will find any of the following: Pablano, jalape~no, serrano, habenero, and ancho chiles, and, sometimes, a combination of multiple hot peppers. Some of these peppers can even be found in desserts making Mexico's versatile utilization of hot peppers truly one of a kind. Interested in using the country's spiciest foods? Begin with these:
- Enchiladas: Tortillas full of meat and cheese, wrapped and cooked in chile sauce
- Chiles rellenos: Roasted chilies which are stuffed with cheese or meat, fried in a light batter, and coated with sauce
- Chapulines: Spicy, chile-coasted, crunchy grasshoppers
- Cochinita pibil: A stew of achiote-marinared pork, made with habanero peppers
- Chilaquiles: Totopos cooked inside a spicy green or red chile sauce
Second Place: Thailand
In reality, Thailand is neck-in-neck with Mexico in regard to its spicy dishes. The only real difference is the fact that where Mexico focuses greatly on the heat, Thailand makes use of sour and tangy flavors to temper certain dishes. The varied use of meats and vegetables also adds some versatility to the spice level, with certain dishes have levels of spice that vary simply in line with the flavors they're melding with.
One of the largest – and, usually, the first – ways that tourists come into contact with Thailand's spice levels is thru Thai curry. This delicious, comforting, warm-you-from-the-inside-out kind of thick stew is something many travelers can only dream of once they've return home. Foodies in Thailand will find both red and green curries, both packing a spice level that will likely light one up internally. Don't be misled, though – that red curry does pack a serious punch, while the green curry is more balanced and rounded. A nice blend of aromatics also dances with Thailand's chile peppers, adding warmth as well as heat to what's already a spicy dish. Prepared to jump in? Try these:
- Green curry: Made with green chilies in addition to basil, coriander, and lime leaf
- Red curry: Created using 20 red chilies
- Tom Yum Soup: A spicy and sour dish that features lemongrass, galangal, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and lime juice prominently
*Note: In South Thailand, green curry is made with bird's eye chilies, which will make it hotter than red curry.
Runner Up: Malaysia
While not every dish in Malaysia is packing spices enjoy it could in Mexico, or being surprisingly sneaky about its spicy as with Thailand, america didn't come to mess around. There's one dish, particularly, in Malaysia that packs a serious hit and has even earned the title of one of the hottest dishes in the world.
While 'otak' means 'brains' in Indonesia, this dish contains nothing of the sort. Rather, it is a fish cake that's created using ground fish, tapioca starch, belacan and galangal spices. Heat within this dish develops from a mix of the greatest, spiciest peppers in the region, which are ground-up and mixed into the fish cake. Essentially, it's these dried, ground-up chilies that have people's eyes watering from their first bite. We're not saying we'd pass on it, but we're certainly not saying we'd be first in line for this spice-packed cake…
