Hot and fiery
Chilli heat that builds and lingers: capsaicin in its many strengths.
Hot spices bring burning heat, mostly from chillies, and also from the sharper bite of pepper and some roots. The heat is a sensation of pain-like warmth, and many people learn to enjoy it.
Where the heat comes from
Chillies contain capsaicin, which triggers the same nerve receptors that sense hot temperatures. Black pepper contains piperine, which has a different, sharper bite. Heat is measured on the Scoville scale, from mild peppers near zero to the hottest cultivars at over a million units.
How cooks use it
Heat is built in layers. Fresh chilli gives a bright burn, dried chilli a deeper warmth, and smoked chilli a lingering one. Fat, sugar, dairy and starch soften the heat on the tongue, which is why yoghurt and rice sit beside hot curries.
Around the world
Heat is strong in Mexican, Thai, Sichuan, Andhra, Ethiopian and West African food, and gentler in northern European cooking. Tolerance varies by person and grows with exposure, so start small.
Hot and fiery on EveryMasala
The spices written up so far, best known first.
🇲🇽 MexicoCascabel chili
A dried Mexican pepper with loose seeds that rattle like a bellHot and fiery · Smoky
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreFresno chile
A medium-sized Capsicum annuum cultivar with a conical shape and bright red skin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreAlligator pepper
The seed pods of West African ginger plants, named for the bumpy texture of their inner kernels.Fruit · Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery
🇵🇭 PhilippinesSiling haba
A long, bright green chili from the Philippines, prized for moderate heat in sour and savory stews.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇳 IndiaIdli podiஇட்லிப் பொடி
A coarse South Indian spice mix of roasted lentils and chillies, served with oil or ghee.Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep
🇨🇳 ChinaEr jing tiao二荆条
A fragrant Chinese chili cultivar prized for its deep hue and medium heatChilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇨🇦 CanadaMontreal steak seasoning
A dry rub of garlic, pepper, and dill for grilling meat, born in Montreal delis.Sharp and pungent · Warm and sweet-spiced
🇺🇸 United StatesFish pepper
A variegated heirloom chili from the Chesapeake Bay, prized for its color-changing fruit and crab dishes.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreBig Jim pepper
A large, mild New Mexico chile cultivar developed in the United States for green roasting.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreIndian costusकुष्ठ (kuṣṭha)
The dried root of a Himalayan thistle, used for centuries in perfumes and traditional remedies.Root · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇳 IndiaNaga Mircha
A wrinkled red chilli from Nagaland with extreme heat and a fruity aroma.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇺🇸 United StatesBlack Pearl pepper
A dark-leaved ornamental chili cultivar with a citrusy heatHot and fiery · Citrus and bright
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreCapsicum frutescens
A small, wild chili species with erect berries, native to the Americas and widely grown in tropical regions.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇮🇳 IndiaGuntur Sannam
A long, thick-skinned red chilli from Andhra Pradesh known for its heat and colour.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇩 Indonesia and 5 moreGinger
The pungent rhizome of a flowering perennial, one of the world's most traded spices.Root · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSandia pepper
A New Mexico-developed Capsicum annuum cultivar used for green and red dishes.Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇵🇪 Peru and 1 moreCapsicum cardenasiiulupica
A wild Andean chilli with white and purple flowers, known as ulupica.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇯🇲 JamaicaPimiento
A sweet, heart-shaped red chili pepper used for stuffing olives and making cheese spreads.Chilli · Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreNaga Morichꠘꠣꠉꠣ ꠝꠞꠤꠌ
A superhot chili cultivar from Northeast India and Bangladesh, known for its blistering heat and ribbed skin.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreDatil pepper
A very hot, sweet-sour cultivar of Capsicum chinense grown mainly in FloridaChilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇺🇸 United States and 2 morePeter pepper
A rare heirloom chili with a distinctive wrinkled shape and moderate heat.Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇳 IndiaByadagi chilliಬ್ಯಾಡಗಿ ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ
A deep red, mild cultivar from Karnataka prized for its colour and oleoresin.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇲🇽 MexicoChile de árbol
A small, fiery Mexican chili pepper known for its grassy heat and bright red dried pods.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Smoky
🇭🇺 HungaryAlmapaprika
A thick-fleshed Hungarian sweet pepper variety used for pickling and traditional dishes.Fruit · Hot and fiery
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 2 moreTrinidad Moruga Scorpion
A superhot Capsicum chinense cultivar from Trinidad known for its intense, lingering heat and sweet fruit notes.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇯🇵 Japan and 3 moreWasabiわさび
The pungent rhizome of a stream-side plant, grated fresh for sushi.Paste · Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreDundicut
A small, round, dark red chili cultivar from South Asia with moderate heat.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇳 IndiaBafat
A coastal Indian spice blend for pork stews and meat dishesBlend · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep
🇵🇪 PeruLemon Drop pepperají limón
A bright yellow, citrus-flavored chilli from Peru's highlands.Hot and fiery · Citrus and bright
🇨🇳 ChinaHainan yellow lantern chili海南黃燈籠椒
A bright yellow Capsicum chinense cultivar from Hainan Island known for its intense heat and high yield.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇧🇩 Bangladesh and 2 morePiper chaba
A creeping vine from South and Southeast Asia whose stems and roots are used as a pungent spice.Root · Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery
🇰🇷 South KoreaCheongyang chili pepper청양고추
A medium-sized Korean cultivar of Capsicum annuum with 10,000 Scoville heat units.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇬🇳 Guinea and 5 moreGrains of paradise
The pungent, citrus-tinged seeds of a West African ginger relative.Seed · Sharp and pungent · Hot and fiery
🇮🇳 IndiaNandurbar Mirchiनंदुरबार मिर्च
A GI-tagged chilli cultivar from the Nandurbar district of Maharashtra, India.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇵🇪 Peru and 4 moreRocoto
A hairy-leaved Andean pepper with black seeds and a distinct cucumber aroma.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreCapsicum annuum
A flowering plant producing berries of many colors and heat levels, from sweet bell peppers to fiery chilies.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇵🇪 Peru and 5 moreCapsicum baccatumají
A domesticated Andean chili with fruit that hangs down, known for its bright orange skin and warm heat.Hot and fiery · Citrus and bright
🇨🇳 ChinaXiao Mi La Pepper小米辣
A wild Capsicum frutescens cultivar from southern China, prized for intense heat in spicy regional dishes.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇧🇷 BrazilCapsicum recurvatum
A wild nightshade chili that thrives in the humid forests of Brazil.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇧🇷 BrazilCapsicum flexuosum
A tiny, mildly pungent wild chili native to southern Brazil.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇮🇳 IndiaRamanathapuram Mundu chilli
A round, mild red chilli from Tamil Nadu with a GI tag.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Earthy and deep
🇮🇳 IndiaHarmal chilliHarmal mirsang
A smooth red cultivar from Goa, known for its intense heat and role in traditional Goan cooking.Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇵🇪 PeruAjí amarillo
A golden-orange Peruvian chili with fruity notes and moderate heatChilli · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
🇦🇷 Argentina and 3 moreCapsicum chacoense
A wild South American chilli known for its intense heat and compact shrub form.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇮🇹 Italy and 1 moreFriggitello
A mild sweet Italian chilli often pickled, known for its complex flavour and slight heat.Sweet and mellow · Hot and fiery
🇮🇳 IndiaEdayur chilliഎടയൂർ മുളക്
A local Kerala cultivar with a GI tag, used for sun-dried curd chillies.Chilli · Hot and fiery
🇲🇽 MexicoSerrano pepper
A hot Mexican chili from mountain regions, used fresh in salsas and sauces.Chilli · Hot and fiery · Sharp and pungent
🇮🇳 India and 3 moreLong pepperpippali
The dried fruit spike of a climbing vine, once the world's most prized spice.Fruit · Hot and fiery · Sweet and mellow
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Idli podi: Booradleyp1, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Piper chaba: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hainan yellow lantern chili: Anna Frodesiak, CC0, source
- Capsicum frutescens: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Black Pearl pepper: J.grindstaff, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Big Jim pepper: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cascabel chili: Jessica and Lon Binder, CC BY 2.0, source
- Rocoto: The original uploader was Lrothc at English Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Capsicum annuum: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain, source
- Capsicum baccatum: Retama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Capsicum flexuosum: Horticulturalist RJ, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Harmal chilli: Lavu Ankush Thakur, CC0, source
- Capsicum chacoense: Zinnmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Friggitello: User:CFang, Public domain, source
- Edayur chilli: Sanalkumar Nv, CC0, source
- Serrano pepper: Cindy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Long pepper: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Alligator pepper: NsirimS, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Indian costus: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Siling haba: Bagoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Ginger: Venkatx5, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Capsicum cardenasii: Caeschfloh, CC0, source
- Pimiento: Challiyan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Naga Morich: Balaram Mahalder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Datil pepper: Paullassiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Peter pepper: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Byadagi chilli: Msclrfl22, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chile de árbol: Cliff Hutson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpion: Hankwang, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fresno chile: Nadiatalent, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Wasabi: Qwert1234, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dundicut: Rep07, CC0, source
- Lemon Drop pepper: User:Carstor, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Grains of paradise: Lemmikkipuu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Montreal steak seasoning: Laurent Bélanger, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Er jing tiao: Borshingwoods, CC BY-SA 4.0, source