The globalization of food has opened up a world of culinary possibilities for those interested in trying new dishes. Foreign cuisines often ramp up the spice level beyond what Americans are used to — but intrepid foodies are rising to the challenge and embracing hot and spicy in a big way.
Festivals dedicated to everything from chili peppers to barbeque and Buffalo wings are offering attendees more than just an opportunity to sample food. They’re destination events, with 5K races, contests, and even beauty pageants.
The National Buffalo Wing Festival, held September 3-4, 2011, in Buffalo, New York, began in 2002 and has attracted more than 407,000 attendees. While most come to sample sauce and participate in sauce making contests, others undoubtedly attend for the honor of meeting Miss Buffalo Wing. The event, which also features a 5K Chicken Wing Run, has raised more than $125,000 for western New York charities.
Additional firepower can be found at the 24th Annual National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show, hitting Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 2-4, 2012. Dubbed “The Hottest Show on Earth,” the event claims to be the “the largest and most visited show about spicy foods and barbecue in the world,” with over 200 exhibitor booths and more than 1,000 different products to sample and peruse.
Adding cultural flair to the mix, Toronto’s four-day Hot & Spicy Food Festival, now in its 14thyear, includes music, film, demos, and dance — in addition to its headlining spicy food. The festival, held September 2-5, 2011, also showcases culinary hotspots and trends from around the world, with a special focus on barbeque.
But what happens when the festivals conclude and the hankering for hot and spicy continues? Turn to chili peppers — from the relatively mild jalapeno to the knock-your-socks-off habanero — as an easily available source for adding flavorful spice to home cooking.
GREAT CHILI PEPPERS IN HISTORY
“The use of chilies can be found across the globe and in a large number of cultures,” says Andrea Alexander, Culinary academic director at The Art Institute of Austin.
While Mexican cuisine is most closely associated with chili peppers, Alexander notes that the peppers are also popular in Spanish cuisine; Central and South American cuisine in countries like Peru and Chile; in Asian nations such as Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and India; and in many African dishes.
Alexander believes that the interest in hot and spicy foods is the result of both the media and food globalization. Programs on the Food Network, recipes on the internet, and the availability of produce that was unheard of five years ago has dramatically changed the way we can cook and eat.
Chilies, perhaps the most (in)famous hot and spicy food, initially became popular because they helped people living in hot cultures to fight the heat. The capsicum found in chili peppers’ seeds and veins actually cause people to sweat — and cool off.
Chilies, perhaps the most (in)famous hot and spicy food, initially became popular because they helped people living in hot cultures to fight the heat. The capsicum found in chili peppers’ seeds and veins actually cause people to sweat — and cool off.
“There is an old saying in Africa that a man could tell if his wife was being unfaithful if his food no longer caused the welcome burn and sweating that ensues from the consumption of hot peppers,” Alexander says.
In cooking, chilies add not only heat, but also intense and delicate flavor profiles, she notes.
“People appreciate the subtle flavors that are brought to many dishes, the smokiness of chipotle chilies made from dried jalapenos, or the floral, fruitiness of the searingly hot habanera also known as scotch bonnets,” Alexander says.
ADD FLAVOR, NOT JUST HEAT
While food festivals may focus more on the “hot and spicy” than the subtle nuances of spice, chefs add chilies for depth, Alexander says.
“Chefs utilize chilies in many ways so that a dish is not simply hot, but has layers of complexity, so that the heat does not simply scorch your palate, but wafts across your tongue and adds to the overall experience.”
She adds that balancing sweet and tart — like in Caribbean salsas or Asian sauces — is an excellent way to accentuate the spicy complexity of a dish.
“The intent is to layer flavors so that they can be identified individually and collectively as well,” Alexander explains.
“The appeal of spice that adds flavor and not just heat is that it becomes adventurous instead of predictable eating,” according to Alexandra H. Bosshardt, Culinary Arts Nutrition instructor at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
Bosshardt notes that the adventure of trying spicy food can even lead to health benefits.
“Heat and spice can cover for a lack of fat and sodium. So, for more healthy recipe development, a little spice adds interest to a dish that otherwise might be bland without so much salt and might be missing the satiety factor associated with sautéing it in fat or frying it,” she says.
She does advise cooks to be careful when handling these ingredients, especially hot peppers and their seeds.
“Don’t inhale the sometimes volatile oils given off after cutting, don't touch the cut pepper and seeds with bare hands, always wear gloves, and don’t touch your face after handling,” Bosshardt says.
The pepper seeds may also be removed to reduce the heat in a finished recipe.
Summer’s heat may inspire home cooks to amp up the spice in barbeque sauces and salsas. For others, consuming something hot and spicy is just a challenge they cannot pass up.
“Some people just really like hot and spicy food, the way that it makes them sweat and burn,” Alexander says.
