Crowning the title of ‘the hottest cuisine in the world’ to just one particular cuisine is a tough task. Since each cuisine has a distinct melange of flavours – it may not be wise to just limit it to one – especially since their blend of spices differ. If you are someone who has the tolerance for spicy food, maybe you should challenge yourself to try out these cuisines:
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Mexican cuisine: Mexico and its natives have a penchant for spices, particularly because they use peppers such as ancho, pabloan, jalapeno, habanero and serrano. Not only are these chilli peppers the hottest of the lot in the world, but they are sure to leave you palette numb. What’s more? Mexican dishes also have dishes centred around their chillies as well. For example, chiles en nogada, chilate de pollo (chicken in spicy salsa) and birria (mutton stew) are extremely spicy. Even the quesadillas and tacos are served with salsa (spicy sauce) to balance the dullness of the tortilla. In photo: A traditional Mexican food spread featuring an array of spicy peppers, tacos, papaya, shrimp and salads
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Manadonese cuisine: Also known as the Minahasan cuisine, natives of Manado (Sulawesi – an island in Indonesia) often make their distinct specialties by using bumbu (a blend of Caribbean spices), which are also worked into their dishes of woku an rica-rica – lemongrass, lime juice, spring onions, shallots, garlic, cloves, chili peppers and candlenut, among others. To accompany their seafood meals, spicy sauces like dabu-dabu and sambal roa are also served along. In photo: Rica Rica ikan Tongkol (spiced cob fish), perkedel (corn fritters), ayam rica rica (spicy chicken), dabu dabu (spicy condiment) and other spicy delicacies
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Chinese cuisine: Did you know that Chinese food has eight cuisines in total, and are often differentiated by their smell, taste and colour. The eight cuisines include: Anhui, Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. Often contemplated which is spicier among the two – Hunan and Sichuan – the former cuisine commonly uses doubanjiang or chili paste, whereas the latter’s uses Sichuan peppercorn. Ma po tofu, dan dan noodles, saliva chicken, gan guo and hunan spicy beef are some of the spiciest dishes on the Chinese menu. In photo: Ramen with shredded cabbage
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Indian cuisine: India and its love for spices is a tale as old as time. Also known as the land of spices, India is the largest producer and exporter of spices. To gulp a dish down from the Indian menu is a task that is not for the faint hearted, especially since it is served raw to accompany the dish. Whether you’re in for the vada pav, pakoras, or a traditional Indian curry like vindaloo or chicken chettinad, the Indian cuisine will undoubtedly turn the heat up. In photo: Naan accompanied with butter chicken, green chutney, and fried chicken
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Tibetan cuisine: Yes, the Sichuan peppercorn did find its way into Nepal and Bhutan. When it comes to Tibetan cuisine, dishes are often made with red chilli peppers, green onions, and cilantro as the base ingredients. It is served with soy sauce to even out the spice. Some of the spiciest dishes in the Tibetan cuisine include: La phing (made with mung beans and maida), and the spherical dumplings titled ‘momos’ which are served with a chilli oil sauce known as sepen. In photo: Tibetan 'mokthuk' or soupy dumplings
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Ethiopian cuisine: Known for its spicy meat dishes in particular, Ethiopian cuisine mainly revolves on a ground spice mix known as berbere. Huge amounts of red chilli, along with cloves of garlic, ginger, and other spices are incorporated into stews, which are also known as wat. The spiciest dishes of the Ethiopian cuisine include tibs (sautéed beef chunks), kitfo (beef tartare), injera (sourdough flatbread), doro wat (spiced chicken), Shiro be Kibbe (legume stew), among others. In photo: A traditional Ethiopian food spread featuring Doro Wot (Spiced Chicken), salads, and Injera (bread)
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Korean cuisine: When it comes to Korean food, you are sure to have you head blown off by the level of spices they add into their meals. Known for its tongue-burning dishes, Koreans use spices to sustain cold climates, which means they like hot food served hot. Some of their spiciest dishes include the buldak fire chicken, jjambbong (seafood noodles), which are also popularly favoured by spice-lovers all over the world. In photo: Bibimbap (mixed rice), kimchi, tteokbokki, bulgogi, and other sides or salads
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Senegalese cuisine: Natives to West Africa, the Senegalese simply do not spare their chillies. Not only do they use one of the world’s hottest chillies – the Scotch Bonnet – but, they also use an array of other spices to marinate their meats and vegetables. Some of their spices include: black and red pepper, moonseeds (cordifolia), mustard, garlic, onion, ginger, leek, and spring onions. Maafe (a peanut-butter stew made with meat) and Djene (Senegalese paella) are some of the spiciest dishes popular in the Senegalese cuisine. In photo: Chicken Yassa
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Jamaican cuisine: When we think of Jamaican food, we first associate the Caribbean country to grilled meat. While that is true for the Jamaican cuisine, not all of its food are spicy. Like the Senegalese, Jamaican cuisine also features the scotch bonnet pepper in its food, but they accompany it with coconut milk and potatoes so that you don’t feel the heat so high. One of the spiciest dishes of the Jamaican cuisine is the Jerk Chicken, which principally consists of Scotch Bonnet peppers and other spices such as ginger, garlic, spring onions, garlic, among others. In photo: Jerk Chicken
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