4 Great Resources For People Who Love Spicy Food

For those who like their meals to come with a kick, it's a distinct pleasure to discover a great new hot sauce or spicy dish. The resources included here, which feature a breadth of sauces, condiments, recipes, and informational guides, will give any pepper head the fire they're looking for. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.

4 Resources for Spicy Cuisine Enthusiasts

Name What It Offers
Secret Aardvark Trading Co. Sells five different types of spicy condiments, including its flagship habanero hot sauce
Huy Fong Foods Makes the ubiquitous hot sauce Sriracha, as well as chili garlic sauce and sambal oelek
The Ramen Rater A guide to the world of instant noodles, it features reviews of spicy ramen varieties, interviews with different noodle manufacturers, various top ten lists, and more
Beaverton Foods Offers a variety of specialty condiments, including ghost pepper mustard, wasabi, and smokey bacon salsa

How Sriracha is Made

What is the Scoville Scale?

Invented in 1912 by Wilbur Scoville, it's a system for measuring the heat of peppers and chillies based on their capsaicin content. The score on the scale represents how much dilution is required for the pungent sensation to be completely eliminated.

Top 10 Hottest Peppers in the World

As of 2020, according to Pepperhead

Pepper Scoville Heat Unit
Carolina Reaper 2,200,000
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion 2,009,231
7 Pot Douglah 1,853,936
7 Pot Primo 1,469,000
Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” 1,463,700
Naga Viper 1,349,000
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) 1,041,427
7 Pot Barrackpore ~1,000,000
7 Pot Red (Giant) ~1,000,000
Red Savina Habanero 500,000

Why Some People Love Spicy Food

In Depth

Serranos, jalapenos, habaneros: pepper heads are always seeking out bigger and bigger thrills when it comes to getting their fix of capsaicin. It's not just the intense flavors that add excitement to mealtime, eating spicy food guarantees an adrenaline rush. In no particular order, here's a list of resources to utilize if you love hot, chili-based dishes.

Our #1 entry is Secret Aardvark Trading Co., a hot sauce maker. The company sells five different types of spicy condiments: habanero, drunken garlic black bean, drunken jerk Jamaican marinade, spicy mayo spread, and serrabanero green. The habanero hot sauce is its flagship flavor, and features a unique "Caribbean meets Tex-Mex" taste.

Secret Aardvark was started in Portland, Oregon by Scott Moritz. On its website, the company offers a variety of recipes to cook using its hot sauces: hot wings, bean dip, and guacamole, to name a few. Fans of Secret Aardvark can also buy branded clothing and accessories, such as beer koozies, hats, t-shirts, and socks.

Fans of Secret Aardvark can also buy branded clothing and accessories, such as beer koozies, hats, t-shirts, and socks.

Coming in at #2 is Huy Fong Foods, maker of the ubiquitous hot sauce Sriracha. Based in Irwindale, California, the company was started by Vietnamese refugee David Tran. Sriracha has become so popular that Huy Fong now sells a number of related accessories for its fans, including t-shirts, sandals, blankets, and shot glasses.

In addition to Sriracha, Huy Fong also makes chili garlic sauce and sambal oelek, which are also spicy condiments. For home cooks, the company offers a variety of recipes which highlight the unique peppery flavor of its sauces: tofu nuggets, wonton bombs, bacon balls, and roasted brussels sprouts are a few. For fans local to the Southern California area, tours at the company headquarters are available.

The #3 entry is The Ramen Rater, a guide to the world of instant noodles. The website was started by Hans Lienesch, based in Edmonds, Washington. Lienesch reviews many spicy ramen varieties, including Samyang Foods Buldak Spicy Hot Chicken Flavor and Samyang Foods Haek Buldak Bokkeummyun, both created in South Korea.

Lienesch reviews many spicy ramen varieties, including Samyang Foods Buldak Spicy Hot Chicken Flavor and Samyang Foods Haek Buldak Bokkeummyun, both created in South Korea.

Every year, The Ramen Rater releases a list of the "Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles of All Time." One can also read interviews with different noodle manufacturers, such as Hakubaku. The Ramen Rater has been featured in several international news outlets, including ZaoBao and Taiwan News.

Our last entry, #4, is Beaverton Foods of Hillsboro, Oregon. Started in 1929 by Rose Biggi, the company sells a variety of specialty condiments, including ghost pepper mustard, Sriracha horseradish, wasabi, and smokey bacon salsa. One can purchase the company sauces or peruse a number of recipes on its website, including ones for pretzels, pot roast, and crab meat salad.

Since opening, Beaverton has received over 100 certificates of excellence and awards for quality. The company takes pride in its commitment to the local community, and makes charitable contributions to a number of local non-profits. Some organizations it supports include: Loving All Animals , The Oregon Food Bank, The Washington County Museum, and the Domestic Violence Resource Center.