Chili, the taste trend of thrill seekers

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That evening, for a group of friends, a menu in 10 steps. Nothing gastronomic on the program, simply spicy sauces. And, quickly, very spicy and stronger. “It is really from the end that it gets complicated and we start to have a little loss of sensitivity, to salivate”explains a participant. The most extreme seem to be internetable. “It’s like a big angina, what”try to explain another.

So really spicy or a little exaggerated? We did the test. And indeed, it burns. A tray at 20 euros, by which up to a quarter of customers can be tempted on weekends. Even on the shelf, the pepper stings market share: chips, ketchup and chocolate, it is everywhere. On the internet, is it the challenge: who will go the furthest?

Peppers, often exotic, harvested in Sélestat, in Alsace (Bas-Rhin). Denis Digel, from the cooperative, the market gardeners combined, has produced these extreme varieties for almost four years, still very equipped. “Even if we wash our hands afterwards, we still have traces and it’s really very aggressive. It burns, it heats up your eyes, nose, mouth”he explains. Varieties that are among the strongest in the world. Reaper and Jolokia, whose production he doubled in two years. He will still triple it next year.

“It is very profitable because we still produce a lot, quickly, without too much work. There is no chemical treatment on it, because the plant protects itself quite well with its aggressive faculties towards insects”still specifies the producer.

So, how powerful are these peppers? Take a classic to reference, the Cayenne: the Jolokia is 20 times stronger. And the power of the reaper is qualified as extreme, 40 times stronger than the Cayenne. Peppers processed into a spicy sauce in a factory a few kilometers away. Before launching production, the laboratory is confined. And to protect himself, the manager puts squarely … a gas mask. The peppers are then crushed, mixed with vinegar, then bottled. And to make his sauces even more spicy, Mickaël Martin, production manager at Hellicious, adds chili, powder this time. “The powder is pepper concentrate that was dried. So there, we really have the strongest in chili”he says.

A global sauce world race, according to the founder of the brand. And he hopes to win it well:“We will all try to have a sauce more extreme than the next, with the communication that goes with it, etc. because we always have customers who will want to go further. If tomorrow we can do the strongest in the world, we will make the strongest in the world”Underlines Nicolas Dockter, founder of Hellicious and Sauce-piquante.fr.

In 2023, a new variety was designated the most powerful, the Pepper X, this time 60 times stronger than the Cayenne. Extreme peppers, to consume all the same in moderation.