Spicy food connoisseur? The fiery roots of Asia’s love for heat
Contrary to what Hot Ones lets on, spicy food isn’t just about thrill-seeking or sweat-induced euphoria. In Asia, spice has long been a tool of survival, preservation and identity. While chilli peppers arrived from the Americas only in the 16th century via Portuguese and Spanish trade, many cultures had already embraced pungency in other forms. Take Sichuan peppercorns, mustard seeds and raw alliums, for example. And like how chilli peppers made their way to this region, Asia’s spicy accoutrements have invaded global spicy dishes.
Here’s how some of Asia's most spice-forward cuisines evolved.
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Thailand
Thailand’s love affair with spice is sensual and strategic. Thai cooking doesn’t just throw in chillies for fire. There is alchemy in the way it combines fresh and dried chillies with herbs like lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves to create a fragrant, complex heat. Chillies were introduced in the 1600s via Portuguese traders, but spice already existed in fermented shrimp pastes and peppery roots.
Thailand’s spicy food culture is partly due to its climate. Hot weather favours light, bold, high-acid dishes that stimulate the appetite. Spice also helped with preservation before refrigeration. Over time, regional variations evolved: Isan in the northeast is known for its blazing larb and som tam, or papaya salad, while southern Thai curries, influenced by Malay and Indian spices, are even richer and hotter.
India
Long before the arrival of chilli, Indian cuisines relied on black pepper, mustard seeds, turmeric and ginger to build heat. (Photo: Andy Hay / Unsplash)
India is often thought of as the original spice kingdom, and for good reason. Long before the arrival of chilli, Indian cuisines relied on black pepper, mustard seeds, turmeric and ginger to build heat and complexity. The arrival of chilli peppers in the 16th century through Portuguese Goa changed everything. Suddenly, they were easier to grow and pack more punch.
India’s diversity means the country has no single definition of spice. Andhra and Chettinad cuisines are famously fiery, using multiple types of chilli in one dish. In Rajasthan, a hot desert climate and lack of fresh produce led to heavily spiced vegetarian dishes with dried chillies and pickles. Spice was also used in Ayurveda, believed to aid digestion, balance doshas and ward off disease. Today, it remains a marker of regional pride and ancestral knowledge.
Sichuan, China
Sichuan’s spice culture is methodical: dishes are calibrated with oil, vinegar and aromatics to control the burn. (Photo: Change CC / Pexels)
Lightweight spicy food lovers avoid this region in China. The Sichuan province didn’t always rely on chilli heat. In fact, their cuisine-defining Sichuan peppercorns, which are not true peppers, were used simply as a medicinal numbing agent for centuries. But after chilli peppers arrived from the Americas in the 17th century, locals began combining them with the native berries, or peppercorns, to create mala, the iconic mouth-tingling flavour now synonymous with dishes like hotpot, mapo tofu and dry-fried green beans.
Sichuan’s humid climate and long winters helped push chilli’s popularity, not only for taste but for its ability to induce sweat and warm the body. Sichuan’s spice culture is methodical, not reckless: dishes are carefully calibrated with oil, vinegar and aromatics to control the burn.
Korea
Korea’s spice profile is built on fermented, umami-packed chilli pastes. (Photo: Joseph Kim / Pexels)
Korea’s spice profile is built less on raw heat and more on fermented, umami-packed chilli pastes like gochujang and chilli powder-laden kimchi. Chilli peppers arrived in the 17th century—relatively late—but quickly became essential to vegetable preservation through Korea’s long winters.
Fermentation and spice became co-dependent: chillies not only add flavour but also antimicrobial properties that help preserve food. Over time, these became core to Korean culinary identity. Today, from bubbling kimchi jjigae to chewy tteokbokki, spice is a constant—warming, red-hued and packed with depth.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cuisine commits to spice. Almost every dish starts with toasted curry powders and an aggressive amount of kochchi chillies, which is a local cousin of the bird’s eye chilli. The island’s location along historic spice routes made it a global trading post for cinnamon, pepper and cloves. However, it’s the use of fresh chillies, crushed or ground into sambals and pol sambol, that defines its heat today.
Colonial history also played a role. Portuguese, Dutch and British traders brought chilli seeds and cooking methods that got adapted into a cuisine that now pulses with fire. Whether in fish ambul thiyal or fiery devilled dishes, spice is an everyday essential.
Malaysia
Malaysia’s spice culture is layered with Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous influences. (Photo: Khanh Nguyen / Pexels)
Malaysia’s spice culture is syncretic, layered together from Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous influences. Chillies, both fresh and dried, are staples, but so are spice blends like rempah, a spice paste made with garlic, shallots, galangal and dried chilli. In Nyonya cuisine, which marries Malay and Chinese traditions, heat is balanced with sweetness and sourness in a true dance of contrasts.
The equatorial climate favoured bold, preserved and acidic foods. Dishes like sambal belacan, which is chilli-fermented shrimp paste relish, and asam pedas, or sour-spicy fish stew, make generous use of spice not just for impact but to stimulate appetite in the humid heat.
See more: 11 of the spiciest dishes you can find in the Klang Valley
Indonesia
Indonesia’s vast archipelago means its spice culture is incredibly diverse. But one thing unites the islands: sambal. There are over 200 documented types, from the raw sambal matah of Bali to the slow-cooked sambal ijo of Padang. Chilli peppers came via the Portuguese, but quickly took root thanks to the abundance of tropical produce and an already fiery palate built on ginger, galangal and turmeric.
Preservation, climate and gastronomic sensibilities all drove spice adoption. In regions like Manado, spicy food includes dishes like rica-rica and dabu-dabu, which are intensely hot. In Java, fried tempeh with sambal is a daily staple, elevating the humble into the unforgettable.
The Philippines
The Philippines isn’t known for heat in the way its neighbours are, but spicy subcultures thrive in regions like Bicol, where dishes like Bicol Express, which is pork in coconut milk and chillies, pack a seriously hot punch. The use of chilli here (siling labuyo is a particular favourite) reflects both the influence of the Mexican galleon trade and the need for preservation in tropical climates.
Most Filipino food is balanced, salty and sour rather than hot, but the spice is there if you know where to look. And in recent years, a younger generation of chefs has been bringing heat back into the mainstream, inspired by both heritage and global culinary trends.
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