HOT STUFF! - Edibles that tingle the taste buds

There's always been a connection between hot countries and spicy food with the common assumption being that foods that make us sweat (or perspire) cool us down.

- Alice Spenser-Higgs

There's another theory and it's that hot weather acts as a natural appetite suppressant while spicy food acts as an appetite stimulant.

Doesn't that sound like South Africa? We love our food and we love it spicy. Thanks to our climate we can grow hot, peppery or mustardy veggies and herbs almost all year round. In other words, veggies and herbs that tingle the taste buds.

Autumn harvest

Right now, its harvest time for chillies that were planted in September and October. They can be preserved by drying (especially cayenne peppers), freezing whole or puréed (in a blender), pickling, cooked up into sauces and salsas or preserved in oil.

Recipe

Pickled green chilli is delicious added to sandwiches or chopped and mixed into salads (think tuna) and salsa. Combine half a cup vinegar, half a cup sugar and spices (dill seed, mustard seed, salt), and 8 to 10 green chillies cut in strips in a pan and simmer over a low heat for five minutes. Put the mixture into small, sterilised jars, cover with the liquid and add some garlic to each jar. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 3 days before using (from food gardener Di-Di Hoffman).

Herb with a kick

Later in autumn or early winter, when horseradish plants die down, harvest the roots to make the hot, piquant horseradish sauce that's served with roast meat, sushi, or added to vegetables that need a kick. Horseradish sauce can be used instead of wasabi, which gives an indication of its heat!

Recipe

To make horseradish sauce, peel and finely grate horseradish root (2 tablespoons) and mix it with half a cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, salt and pepper to taste. Let it stand for an hour before serving or refrigerate for up to two weeks.