SPICED-UP STOCKING STUFFERS

What would we do without chili peppers? Born in Amazonia, they’ve transformed many of the world’s cuisines. While the emphasis is often placed on fieriness, these five chili-infused gift ideas focus fully on flavour, Laura Brehaut writes.

A PECK OF PEPPERS

Assortment of whole, flaked or ground dried chilies, Épices de Cru ($4.25-$12.50; spicetrekkers.com)

From Peruvian aji amarillo to southern Indian kaddi and Spanish paprika to Kurdish isot pepper, chilies offer much more than heat. “I’m so sick and tired of this macho, ‘I want it to burn! If I’m not crying ... it’s not worth it,’” Ethné de Vienne of Montreal’s Épices de Cru says. She recommends taking a subtler approach and selecting a range of chilies at the lower end of the heat scale. In addition to the types named above, de Vienne suggests Mexican guajillo, pasilla or ancho; Basque Espelette-style gorria (grown in Quebec); fruity and colourful Korean pepper flakes; and Chinese lovelies such as the Sichuan-grown “towards the sun” or Yunnan sweet chili.

CAPSICUM COMPENDIUM

Peppers of the Americas ($47; chapters.indigo.ca or wherever books are sold)

Chef Maricel E. Presilla’s Peppers of the Americas (Lorena Jones Books, 2017) is an exhaustive look at the punchy ingredient. The James Beard Award-winning author covers the “Capsicum clan,” including tasting notes, culinary uses and beautiful botanical portraits for nearly 200 varieties. Presilla, an expert on the cuisines of Latin America and Spain, finishes the impressive volume with more than 40 pan-Latin recipes for condiments (pepper vinegars, chili salt), appetizers (pan-fried padrón peppers) and main dishes (slab bacon in hibiscus hot pepper adobo with chocolate).

SPICY SUBSCRIPTION

Fuego Box Hot Sauce of the Month Club (US$29.95-$179.40; fuegobox.com)

Fuego Box founder Mike McAdams is also a believer that peppers needn’t set your mouth ablaze to meet the requirements of a chili. It’s in this spirit that his hot sauce of the month club selects its small-batch offerings — it’s about taste, not “unbearable heat.” They steer clear of extract-based hot sauces and select craft products based on regular tasting parties with both hot sauce enthusiasts and an expert advisory panel. Subscribe to a quarterly or monthly three-sauce box (US$29.95) or choose from a range of hot sauce gift sets, including the all-star crate (US$49.95); “mellow” (US$29.95); or a one-year quarterly box subscription (US$111.80).

MAYAN SIPPER

Maya Drinking Chocolate, Soma Chocolate ($6-34; somachocolate.com)

Two of the Americas’ indispensable culinary contributions together in a mug: chilies and chocolate. Toronto chocolate-maker Soma is renowned for its drinking chocolates and offers five different kinds. “Inspired by the ancient elixir of the Mayas,” this spicy sipper is made with dark chocolate, chili peppers, orange peel, ginger and a custom spice blend. Serve the liquid chocolate in a shot glass or espresso cup for an intensely chocolatey hit, add coffee for a piquant mocha or mix with milk or hot water for a twist on classic hot cocoa.

MOLTEN SALT

Molten Hot Salt, Amola ($9.95; amolasalt.com or various Canadian retailers)

Amola was founded by chef and restaurateur Eric Pateman of Edible Canada. Its hand-harvested sea salts are made on Granville Island in Vancouver using allnatural seasonings, including bacon and smoky espresso. For an alternative to your standard finishing salt, try Amola’s Molten Hot with its blend of chipotle, ghost pepper, cayenne, habanero and scorpion powders. Buy a single and recommend the recipient dusts it on anything that could use a hit of heat or go for the bar-ready spicy Caesar duo pack, which includes Molten Hot and Caesar Rim salts.