Photo: Jerome Quek (Getty Images)
The summer is full of holidays. For every Fourth of July, there are 10 random, completely unnecessary holidays mostly related to various foods and drinks. Highlights include National Fried Chicken Day, National S’mores Day, and even National Bacon Lovers Day. While we just don’t have time to celebrate all of these holidays, we’re always stoked for National Hot and Spicy Food Day. This is because, let’s face it, we love everything hot and spicy. We even keep a bottle of hot sauce in our glove compartment for emergencies.
The spiciest of all holidays takes place on Aug. 19. To prepare you for a day of sweaty, mouth-burning fun, we made a list of some of the spiciest foods on the planet. Check them all out below.
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Hot and Spicy Day
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Five Alarm Chili
Based on the concept that, depending on the severity of a fire, there are a number of alarms at the fire house. Obviously, five alarms is bad news and five alarm chili is really hot.
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Vindaloo
Vindaloo is a spicy pork-based dish from India. While not all vindaloo is crazy hot, much of it is. It ranges from very mild to scorchingly hot and gets its heat from spicy curry.
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Wat
What is wat? Well, it’s an Ethiopian stew made from various root vegetables, a meat (chicken, beef, or lamb), clarified butter, and various spices.
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Phaal
Phaal isn’t for the faint of heart. In fact, this dish is so spicy, some restaurants require people to sign a waiver to even eat it. On top of that, many chefs wear gas masks so they don’t breath any of the spices into their lungs.
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Sichuan Hot Pot
You’ve probably seen Sichuan hot pot on a travel show. This literal hot pot of boiling broth is full of meat, vegetables, dumplings, and other foods and spices with Sichuan peppercorns and whole chilis. It’s so hot that some people require a towel to wipe of their brow as they eat.
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Tom Yum
Tom Yum might sound like the name of a children’s cartoon character, but in fact it’s a hot and sour Thai soup made with shrimp and various spices.
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Wasabi
If you’ve ever had a roast beef sandwich, you know how hot horseradish is. Wasabi, the green hued paste that comes with your favorite sushi, is Japanese horseradish and it’s uncomfortably hot and spicy.
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Kimchi
Kimchi, the salted and spiced fermented vegetables combination is common in Korean cuisine. Made with cabbage, radishes, various other veggies and multiple fiery spices, it’s the perfect fermented kick to add to your favorite Asian dishes.
