Central America chili-off

April 15, 2008 1:31 AM

So Taksi Putra has challenged me to a 'chili-off' in Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize) this summer. What should we eat and where? Higher on the Scoville the better. Anything east of Baja is fair game. If it sounds tasty and is super-hot, we'll hunt it down.

Specific restaurants / neighborhoods to go to?
Recipes welcome too.
Also: what drinks do we pair the food with? Alcohol suggestions?

We're not looking only for Central American food; simply the hottest.

Note: We're pretty resilient to capsacin and super-mobile - suggest away!

posted by harhailla.harhaluuossa to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

I got it. We just got back from Belize and on Caye Caulker, there is a chef by the name of Maurice who has a restaurant called Wish Willy's. He makes his own hot sauce with fresh local chilis. He brings it to the table in a large bottle. It's different every time (we had one red and one green.) You would think because the bottle is so big that it can't possibly be that hot-- but it is (the red one especially). We actually saw someone run out of the restaurant because she was in so much pain.

Maurice is a great guy too. I am willing to bet that if you told him about this he'd concoct something for you. Oh, and the food to put the hot sauce on is great too. It is an outdoor place where he just grills fresh fish, etc. in his front yard and all meals are <$10 ($15BZ, I think). Wash it all down with a Belikin or two or three.
posted by picklebird at 4:28 AM on April 15, 2008 [1 favorite]

And when you get back, order these, but only if you mean what you say. If habaneros hurt you, don't bother.

They taste good, though.
posted by onedarkride at 4:44 AM on April 15, 2008 [1 favorite]

Why east of baja?
posted by billtron at 7:10 AM on April 15, 2008

Response by poster: We're bored of Baja.
posted by harhailla.harhaluuossa at 9:19 PM on April 15, 2008

Don't forget to try the chiltepes in Guate.
posted by papafrita at 6:17 PM on April 21, 2008