kiwiblog

Cooking Recommendations

To spice things up deliciously, the spiciest cuisines in the world
Cooking Recommendations

To spice things up deliciously, the spiciest cuisines in the world

By Kiwilimón - 2018-10-16T09:22:23.374827Z
If you think that Mexicans are the only brave ones who dare to add chili to their food, you are very mistaken. All over the world, there are many other masochistic cultures that also love spicy food. Here are some of them.

China

In Sichuan cuisine, a combination of fresh green and dried red chiles, red chili oils, and Sichuan pepper is used; some of its spiciest dishes are shredded meat with green chiles and Ma po tofu, which is made with a paste of dried red chiles known as Doubanjiang. However, due to the use of peppercorns, a combination of fresh green chiles, pickled chiles, dried red chiles, and ground white pepper, Hunan cuisine is considered a bit spicier than Sichuan cuisine. A clear example of this is the steamed fish head in chili sauce that uses many red chiles in vinegar.

Ethiopia

The most spicy element in Ethiopian cuisine is a powdered spice mix called berbere, which varies depending on each dish but invariably contains a large amount of red chili, ginger, garlic, cloves, and nutmeg, among many other spices. Berbere is added to stews called wat, of which the spiciest is Doro wat, which contains chicken and whole eggs. Another spicy dish is tib, a recipe of meat or fish sautéed in clarified butter and berbere.

Africa

Most West African countries have a cuisine with a spicy touch, not only from chiles but also from their seasonings. In Ghana, shito is a spicy paste made with lots of pepper, palm oil, and sometimes with anise pepper, a type of pepper similar to Sichuan. Most of their dishes contain large amounts of shito, such as shrimp soup with pepper and goat soup, two stews also present in Liberian and Nigerian cuisine. In any African restaurant, just by asking for “pima,” you will get a small bowl of a very spicy homemade sauce.

India

The signature of India is a long, very thin green chili that is sometimes used as an appetizer in chickpea flour fritters called chili pakoda. In these lands, a spice mix called masalas is used, to which chili powder is added to adjust the spice level of the dishes. Another common preparation in this cuisine is curry, a sauce made with different spices that accompanies most dishes, such as lamb vindaloo or chicken chettinad, both very spicy.

Japan

Shishito chiles can be found on many Japanese menus where they are served blistered; however, these chiles are not very spicy. The real heat is found in many ramen recipes or in dishes to which red chili oil is added. Another of the spiciest powdered condiments is shichimi, which combines seven spices such as poppy seeds, sesame, hemp, and chili powder.

South Korea

Because winters in Korea are very harsh, their cuisine is very spicy and mostly hot. This is why pork, seafood, and fresh tofu are prepared in stews called jigaes or chigaes that are served almost boiling. The spicy flavor comes from a red chili paste or kimchi. Green chiles are also widely used in Korean cuisine, such as the pickled chiles called gochu jangajji or the green ones used to make a well-known pancake.

Mexico

In Mexican cuisine, both dried and fresh chiles are used equally, in stews, sauces, and as accompaniments to other foods. Some dishes such as stuffed chiles or chiles en nogada feature chili as the main ingredient. Mole is a mix of different chiles that is used in various dishes combined with chicken, tortillas, and rice; some moles are sweet and others spicier, it all depends on the amount of chili added. In most Mexican restaurants, such as taquerías, it is common to find fresh jalapeño chiles and salsas of all degrees of spiciness, some homemade and others industrialized like Tabasco or Valentina.

Peru

The main Peruvian chili is called ají, which is said to be the sound that people scream when they taste it. The variety of Peruvian ajíes comes in all colors: yellow, orange, green, and red, and they are used to make sauces sold in South American stores and used in countless dishes in this region. Ají is used to flavor ceviches and in the traditional chicken dish with ají. See original article.