The 20 Spiciest Foods in the World (Real National Dishes)
Forget novelty sauces. This is heat with a history behind it. These 20 dishes are what people in the world’s chilli heartlands cook every week, from Bhutan’s chilli-and-cheese national dish to the berbere of Ethiopia. Every entry links to an authentic recipe, so you can decide how brave to be.
-
Ema Datshi
BhutanWhole chillies cooked in cheese. In Bhutan the chilli is the vegetable, not the seasoning.
Ema Datshi is chillies and cheese, and the chillies are the vegetable rather than the seasoning. A serving contains a quantity of chilli that most visitors find alarming. Bhutanese eat it at nearly every meal, including breakfast.
-
Sichuan Hot Pot
ChinaA broth of dried chilli and Sichuan pepper. The pepper numbs so you keep eating the chilli.
Gather everyone around the table and discover Hot Pot, China's most sociable national dish. Known at home as huoguo, this simmering communal feast turns dinner into a shared adventure: a bubbling pot of fragrant broth sits at the …
-
Doro Wat
EthiopiaChicken in berbere, a blend that can run to a dozen chillies and spices.
Doro Wat is the dish Ethiopians cook when it matters, and the work is in the onions. Six or more, chopped fine, cooked dry and then in niter kibbeh for the better part of an hour before the chicken appears. Rushing that step …
-
Som Tam
ThailandGreen papaya pounded with bird's eye chillies. Order it Thai-hot at your own risk.
Meet Som Tam, Thailand's very good green papaya salad and a star of street-side cooking right across the country. Shredded unripe papaya is pounded together with lime, chilli, fish sauce and crunchy peanuts to create a dish that …
-
Nigerian Pepper Soup
NigeriaA thin, scalding broth of scotch bonnet and calabash nutmeg. Taken for colds.
Discover Pepper Soup, one of Nigeria's most cherished comfort foods. This warming bowl of spicy, fragrant broth is built around tender meat, fish or seafood, gently simmered with a bold mix of peppers and aromatic seasonings. …
-
Aguachile
MexicoRaw prawns cured in lime with serrano chillies blended into the liquid. Green and immediate.
Cool, fiery and bracingly fresh, Aguachile is one of the great treasures of Mexico's Pacific coast. Raw seafood is "cooked" in a vivid bath of lime juice, green chillies and coriander, then crowned with crisp cucumber and red …
-
Kimchi Jjigae
South KoreaAged kimchi and gochugaru cooked into a stew. The sourness carries the heat.
Few dishes capture the soul of Korean home cooking quite like Kimchi Jjigae, a bold, bubbling stew built around tangy fermented cabbage and a fiery hit of chilli. Simmered with pork or tofu until the flavours turn deep and …
-
Jerk Pork
JamaicaScotch bonnet and allspice, smoked over pimento wood in a drum.
Discover Jerk Pork, the smoky, fiery pride of Jamaica. This is far more than a plate of grilled meat. It is a taste of the island itself, where tender pork is steeped in a bold blend of spices that balance searing heat with a …
-
Harissa
TunisiaDried chillies pounded with caraway, coriander and garlic. Tunisia puts it in everything.
Meet Harissa, the fiery chilli paste at the very heart of Tunisian cooking. Made from red chillies, garlic and a handful of warming spices, it delivers a bold, smoky heat that can transform even the simplest plate of food. A …
-
Laap
LaosMinced meat with toasted rice powder, lime, herbs and a great deal of dried chilli.
Meet Laap, the fragrant minced-meat salad that sits right at the heart of Laotian cooking. Bright with lime, chilli and a tangle of fresh herbs, and given a nutty backbone by toasted ground rice, it is a dish that manages to feel …
-
Piri Piri Chicken
MozambiqueAfrican bird's eye chilli, garlic and lemon, brushed on through the grilling.
Discover piri-piri chicken, the fiery pride of Mozambique's kitchens. This bright dish takes tender chicken and bathes it in a punchy chilli paste that delivers spicy, tangy and gently smoky notes in every bite. Simple to prepare …
-
Sri Lankan Beef Curry
Sri LankaRoasted curry powder with Ceylon chillies. Hotter than most Indian curries.
Discover Beef Curry, one of Sri Lanka's most treasured dishes. Tender chunks of beef are slow-cooked in a fragrant coconut sauce until they melt in the mouth, carrying the warm heat of chilli and the earthy depth of toasted …
-
Shito
GhanaGhana's black chilli paste with dried fish and prawn, cooked down in oil for hours.
Discover Shito Sauce, one of Ghana's most treasured condiments. This dark, fiery relish blends dried fish, hot chillies and a carefully judged mix of spices into a deeply savoury sauce that keeps for weeks. Equally at home as a …
-
Sambal Udang
IndonesiaPrawns in a fried chilli paste with belacan. The sambal is the dish.
Say hello to Sambal Udang, a fiery Indonesian favourite that brings together plump prawns and a richly spiced chilli sauce. It is a real treat for the senses and a brilliant showcase of just how varied Indonesian cooking can be. …
-
Mapo Tofu
ChinaTofu in fermented broad bean chilli paste with Sichuan pepper and minced beef.
Discover Mapo Tofu, one of China's most iconic dishes and a true cornerstone of Sichuan cooking. Silky cubes of tofu sit in a glossy, fiery sauce built from soy sauce, chilli oil, garlic and ginger, with toasted nuts and seeds …
-
Rocoto Relleno
PeruA rocoto pepper stuffed with meat and cheese, then baked. Boiled first, or it is unbearable.
Say hello to Rocoto Relleno, a fiery Peruvian classic that packs a serious punch. Plump rocoto peppers are hollowed out and filled with juicy spiced meat, then crowned with a golden layer of melted cheese and baked until bubbling. …
-
Trini Pepper Shrimp
Trinidad and TobagoPrawns in a sauce of scotch bonnet, garlic and lime, made hot on purpose.
If you like your seafood with a serious kick, Pepper Shrimp is calling your name. This Trinbagonian favourite tosses plump, fresh prawns in a fiery blend of Scotch bonnet peppers, garlic and lime, delivering pure Caribbean …
-
Cameroonian Pepper Soup
CameroonFish or goat in a clear broth of country pepper and njangsa.
Discover Peppersoup, one of Cameroon's most warming and unmistakably fiery dishes. This aromatic broth brings together fresh ingredients and a bold handful of spices to create something that soothes and invigorates in equal …
-
Buffalo Wings
USACayenne sauce cut with butter. Invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo in 1964.
Say hello to Buffalo Wings, the saucy, fiery chicken that has become an American institution. Crispy wings tossed in a tangy hot sauce and served alongside a cooling blue cheese dip and crunchy vegetable sticks, they are made for …
-
Tom Yum Kai
ThailandLemongrass, galangal, lime leaf and a pile of chillies in a sour, hot broth.
Discover Tom Yum Kai, one of Thailand's most celebrated soups and a masterclass in balancing bold flavours. Tender chicken simmers in a fragrant broth scented with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal, delivering that …
Disagree with our order? The only valid rebuttal is cooking — start with another ranking or browse all 194 countries.