An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
Let's be real: people can either handle the heat and enjoy the pain of spicy food, or they avoid it like it's the plague. Either way, spicy food is popular all over the world, and most countries have at least one spicy dish that brings with it some fiery flavors. From Jamaica to Ethiopia, countless countries and regions have incorporated chili peppers as a staple of their cuisine.
Want to know where they keep it spicy, and the dishes in question? Then check out this gallery!
Situated in southwestern China, Sichuan is a region known for their spicy dishes that often combine fresh green and dried red chilies, red chili oil, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Thanks to dishes packed with peppers like jalapeño and habanero, it's no surprise that Mexican cuisine is one of the spiciest in the world. From soups to quesadillas, and even desserts, you can find spiciness in everything!
India's cuisine is diverse and filled with different flavors. But one can't ignore the spiciness when it comes to their food. Their dishes would be incomplete without chili, garlic, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper.
Green chilies are widely used in Bhutanese cuisine, which gives it a lot of spice. Traditional dishes like Paksha Paa pork are made with red-hot chili, and momo dumplings are filled with jalapeño peppers.
The primary Peruvian pepper is called aji amarillo, which is often made into a sauce and used in a variety of dishes. The chili can be used to spice up ceviches, as well as their national stew called aji de gallina.
The spicy aspect of Ethiopian food is thanks to a mixture of spices called berbere. This mix contains chili powder, garlic, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and many other spices. And it's usually used in a meat stew called doro wat.
While not every dish in Malaysia is spicy, they do have one dish in particular that will bring the heat. Called otak-otak, it's dry chili mixed with chopped fish and steamed in a banana leaf.
Ghana is all about spicy food! The heat can be added to any dish thanks to shito, a hot paste based on ground black pepper, palm oil, and sometimes anise pepper.
Thailand is one of the biggest cuisines when it comes to spicy food. You can find many fried dishes and spicy soups packed with aroma and chilies that will make your mouth water.
Italians are not very keen on spicy food, but if you want some spice, head to the southern region of Calabria. There you can find dishes made with the iconic pepper peperoncino.
One of Haiti's spiciest dishes is called girot. Traditionally made with pork shoulder, it's served with hot sauce made from apple cider vinegar, spicy pickled peppers, and habanero chilies.
Tunisia is another country that loves to add some spice. Some of their main dishes include harissa, hot chili pepper paste made of roasted red peppers, garlic, and plenty of spices.
The Japanese are fond of shishito peppers, but these are only mildly spicy. To amp up the heat, one can try some of their spicy ramen, especially spicy miso ramen with red chili oil.
With a cuisine influenced by many indigenous southern African, European, and Asian cultures, South Africa has plenty of flavorful dishes. One popular street food dish is bunny chow, a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with spicy curry.
Indonesian cuisine uses a lot of chili and other spices in their food. One of their spiciest dishes is a street food treat called seblak. Made with either chicken, seafood, or meat, it's packed with chili, shallots, and garlic.
Koreans really love spicy food, and one popular dish that brings the heat is jigaes. This spicy stew is made of either pork, seafood, or fresh tofu. It's served sizzling hot, packed with chili paste.
Jamaicans certainly know how to make a spicy dish with their world-famous jerk chicken. Containing Scotch bonnet peppers, locals add potatoes or coconut milk to turn down the heat.
Food in Mozambique is packed with piri piri, which is also popular in Kenya and South Africa. The hot sauce is also popular in Portugal, who originally brought the pepper to East Africa.
Nigerian cuisine has a fair amount of dishes using a variety of peppers, such as Scotch bonnet and chili peppers. You will find both grilled meat and stews packed with fiery flavors.
The Southern states of the US have a vibrant food culture with indigenous, European, and African influences. Cajun and Creole cuisine are both native to Louisiana, and consist of dishes with large amounts of cayenne pepper and extra seasoning.
If you love lamb and spicy food, then Morocco is the place for you. You can either go a for a roasted lamb or a tagine stew, filled with cayenne pepper, paprika, and other spices.
With plenty of influences from Sichuan, Tibet has developed a taste for spicy Sichuan peppercorns. Tibetans have also taken on Indian stews, packed with chilies.
Like most West African countries, Liberia is also big on spicy food. The main staples of their cuisine are spicy and starchy dishes served as soups or stews.
A country characterized by rich flavors, Sri Lanka has various curried meat, fish, or vegetable dishes. Of course, they're often quite spicy and tasty!
Mongolia is big when it comes to hotpot dishes, especially those influenced by spicy Sichuan flavors. The meat is cooked with garlic, onions, and vegetables in a hot broth of Sichuan peppers.
Senegalese cuisine uses one of the world's spiciest peppers, the Scotch bonnet, which indicates their love of spiciness. One popular dish that contains plenty of heat is thieboudienne, a sort of Senegalese paella.
With a large Indian diaspora, Trinidad has one of the spiciest foods in the Caribbean. One popular dish is vindaloo, a curry with origins from Goa.
The Philippines has a diverse cuisine that's found throughout the archipelago. One popular dish is sisig, sizzling and spicy pork stew that originates from the region of Luzon.
The world’s spiciest cuisines
Turn up the heat with these exciting meals!
FOOD World food
Let's be real: people can either handle the heat and enjoy the pain of spicy food, or they avoid it like it's the plague. Either way, spicy food is popular all over the world, and most countries have at least one spicy dish that brings with it some fiery flavors. From Jamaica to Ethiopia, countless countries and regions have incorporated chili peppers as a staple of their cuisine.
Want to know where they keep it spicy, and the dishes in question? Then check out this gallery!