The popularity of hot and spicy food remains on the upswing.

Datassential, a Chicago-based market research firm, reports in its “MenuTrends Year End Q2 2022” and “2022 FLAVOR” data, spicy as a callout is on 70.9% of menus. Additionally, 58% of consumers love or like spicy foods. The most menued spicy ingredient is the jalapeño pepper, which is on 57.5% of menus, up 3% in the last four years.

A Hot Challenge at Salvador Molly’s

Those who can handle eating five of Salvador Molly’s Great Balls of Fire spicy cheese fritters get their photo on the wall. The founder of this Portland, Ore., restaurant — chef Scott Maritz, a lover of spicy foods — also created a hot sauce called Secret Aardvark that has become popular in the area.

“We have another hot sauce, Sunshine and Pain, that grabs you with heat to let you know it’s there but finishes with a fresh habanero taste,” says Nathan Campbell, Salvador Molly’s general manager. “It is sold in our restaurant and by mail order as is the Great Balls of Fire seasoning mix.”

Along with Great Balls of Fire, the restaurant’s jambalaya, offered in different degrees of hot — mild, medium and very spicy — is a best seller.

“In terms of trends, we’re seeing new hot sauces all the time incorporating different ingredients,” Campbell says. “This includes garlic and fruit like passion fruit, pineapple and other citrus. Some will cut the heat.”

Campbell adds that people tend to stick with hot sauces that offer both heat and a depth of flavor. “For our hot and spicy dishes, we use jerk spice, habaneros, jalapeños and scotch peppers when in season,” he says.

Papalote Brings the Heat

San Francisco’s Papalote’s signature salsa is only offered in medium and hot varieties due to the demand for spicy.

“Hot salsa is our original recipe and combines serrano, chipotle and habanero,” says Victor Escobedo, Papalote’s owner. “When I do demos, people request the hottest salsa.”

Escobedo notes operators add heat to food in different ways, depending on the culture. “In Asian cuisine, there are three or four types of heat, such as hot oil, chili paste, chili flakes and sauces like sriracha. In Italian food, you have crushed red pepper flakes and pepperoncini to make spicy pasta sauce,” he says. “Cajun cuisine uses Tabasco sauce for gumbo, soups and seafood. Mexico is a true celebration of peppers, with different types used in the various regions.”

In addition, consumers may choose to eat certain hot peppers raw, such as serrano, habanero and jalapeno. Chilis can be fresh, pickled or processed with other peppers. “So many regional foods, like mole and pozole, can always add extra heat with habanero or jalapeño peppers, which are versatile,” Escobedo says. “One of the main things to bring heat to life is to roast or toast the pepper or its seeds, then grind them into a powder and use this as a rub.”

Hot & Spicy E&S

• Blender
• Immersion blender
• Mixer
• Grinder
• Food processor
• Oven for roasting
• Mortar and pestle