Recipes from the rest of the world

From around the globe

While there are countries with many dishes in their spicy and piquant cuisine, others have only a couple. In Germany, Spain, for example, spicy foods are not eaten every day. But yet,  you will find  Currywurst being enjoyed in Germany, and the Padron pepper finding its way onto many a menu in Spain. This is true of many other countries that do not traditionally have spicy food, but still produce some excellent dishes with Chillies.

Rather than  looking at recipes from countries, that like spicy food,  this section will explore recipes from the rest of the world (where spicy foods are not the norm).

Spreading  the love

Not all like it hot

When the Chilli made its journey to Europe with  Christopher Colombus, it was not an immediate hit. It took a while for them to become famous.  People had to adapt. And adapt they did. Indeed.   Chillies are now found in what many people would consider as being part of their regular diet. Maybe not eaten every day, but yet part and parcel of generally accepted normal eating.

In the United Kingdom, for example, no one would blink an eyelid if you had a curry, Chinese Chilli chicken, prawn stuffed Chillies or a pizza with a  spicy topping. Never mind all the hot sauces, chutneys and jams. It's just  considered normal

However, some countries, as a general rule, just don't like spicy foods.  German food, for example, does not contain many spicy dishes ( currywurst excepted ). The same goes for France,  Switzerland, Poland, Austria and many more countries throughout Europe.  In these counties, eating pungent food is considered exotic as opposed to everyday eating by a long chalk.

When the Chilli did its rounds in being introduced to this part of the world, it found more favour in the Medditarean countries. In Italy, for example (particularly in Calabria), Chillies are used to make Nduja ( A spreadable Salami), Chilli Oils, and as an ingredient in making pasta sauces like Arriabatta ( made with tomatoes, garlic, Chillies and other ingredients). In Spain, Chillis are found in Patatas Bravas (roast potatoes with tomato, garlic and garlic), , Chorizo sausages and fried as in Padron Chillies. Likewise, the Portuguese consider Piri Piri Chicken to be a national dish

It's not that these countries spice loving. Hardly, yet Chillies have found their way into parts of their recognisable cuisine.

Final thoughts

There will be pockets or regions where spicy foods are eaten every day in all the countries mentioned above. Typically, in immigrant parts of the population.  You will also find speciality restaurants catering towards an eating out experience.  As a general rule, however, many of these countries ( besides the UK) do not particularly like eating  spicy foods with Chillies as part of their regular diet.