Singaporeans have the hots for spicy food but love that is untested remains naive. So some have been subjecting their fiery fervour to trial by fire at a growing number of eateries that offer different levels of spiciness for everything from chicken wings and ramen to hot pot and pasta.

At the Sunset Grill & Pub in the Seletar Airbase, its Buffalo wings, which are fried chicken wings coated in hot sauce and named after its place of origin, Buffalo, New York, go up to a tongue-torching level
35.

Since the new heat level was introduced last October, topping its previous offering of Level 30, more than 20 groups of diners have eaten the sizzling wings and earned a place on the casual eatery’s Chilli Heads Wall Of Fame, a wall in the restaurant where their names are displayed.

Mr Jerry Griffis, 76, a retired American aerospace engineer and Singapore permanent resident who owns the eatery, says: “The restaurant started with 10 levels of spiciness for the Buffalo wings in 2004, but the levels increased over the years to 30, and then 35, because customers keep asking for more.”

Similarly, at Chinese hot pot restaurant Chuan Jiang Hao Zi Steamboat in Smith Street, the broth for its ma la (numbing and piquant in Chinese) hot pot grew from one to four degrees of spiciness.

Further distinctions are made at each level based on the country the diner is from.

Its owner, Ms Zhu Hong Hui, 45, a native of Chongqing city in Sichuan, says in Mandarin: “We introduced different levels of spiciness for ma la broth because customers have varying levels of tolerance for heat.

“Those from China’s south-western regions such as Sichuan have the highest level of tolerance followed by diners from other parts of China, then Singapore.”

She adds: “We sometimes get Singaporean customers who overestimate their ability and demand the restaurant’s spiciest hot pot broth. We usually coax them to order the moderately spicy version first.”

Indeed, diners with daredevil appetites for spicy food find it hard to resist an opportunity to challenge their tastebuds.

Ms Janice Sim, 32, a foreign exchange broker and spice lover, says: “I was tempted to try the level eight spicy ramen at Beppu Menkan in China Square Central after I saw it on the menu. The group of friends I was dining with also egged me on. So I did it.”

She came away from the experience with lips swollen like sausages from the heat and now opts for spicy ramen between levels four and six when she eats at the restaurant.

Similarly, Mr Ong Weili, 21, who recently completed national service, succumbed to the siren call of Level 30 Buffalo wings at Sunset Grill & Pub, and successfully ate them on his second attempt.

He says: “On my first try, I ate up to Level 10 but I did not go further because the friends I was with could not take more. But I wanted my name on the restaurant’s wall of fame so I came back to challenge the Level 30 Buffalo wings.”

He adds: “As I ate the wings, I could feel a numbing sensation spread from my mouth to the back of my neck, my stomach and all other parts of my body. It was painful and I was on the verge of throwing up, but I kept telling myself, ‘mind over body’.”

Dr Law Ngai Moh, a gastroenterologist at Raffles Hospital, says chemical compounds in spices stimulate acid production in the stomach as well as gut hormones, which cause contractions of the stomach.

Consuming excessive amounts of spice could result in an acid imbalance in the stomach, and/or upset the gut hormones, leading to symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Severe
abdominal pain may also overstimulate the sensory system of the gut and the brain, causing cold sweat and fainting spells.

He sees one to two patients a year who are admitted to the hospital’s emergency department displaying such symptoms because they ate extremely spicy food.

He says: “A person’s tolerance for and adaptation to spiciness is highly variable, but one should stop eating spicy food when one’s stomach and intestines start to feel uncomfortable.”

It is for this reason that Mr Griffis of Sunset Grill & Pub discourages diners from trying its Level 35 wings, unless they are aware of what they are getting themselves into. He is tight-lipped about the spices in its Buffalo wings and will say only that the spice blend is mixed by himself and his wife.

At Jerry’s BBQ & Grill, with outlets in Jalan Kayu and Club Street, owner Al Hakam, 75, imports jalapeno chillies and jalapeno-based sauces from the US, to make its spicy Buffalo wings.

He says: “For our hottest wings, called the Chef’s Challenge, we use an extremely fiery sauce, made from a secret recipe, and we administer it by the drop.”

At Aglio Olio, a casual Italian restaurant with outlets in Pickering Street and Shenton Way, chilli padi is used to up the heat in its pastas and pizzas, which are available in four levels of spiciness.

And at Chinese steamboat restaurant La Mei Zi, with shops in Beach Road and Thomson Road, chilli oil made from frying chillies and Sichuan peppercorns is added to chicken stock to make its spiciest ma la broth.

Diners who cannot comprehend the obsession with spicy food might dismiss the dizzying levels of spiciness as destroying the taste and enjoyment of food.

But for diehard chilli fiends such as Mr Jeffrey Phang, 44, a printing company sales manager, it is not too hot to handle.

He says: “When I eat at Aglio Olio, I always ask for the spiciest level and when the pasta comes, I add a few more drops of Tabasco sauce to make it taste better.”

ALL ABOUT CHILLIES
The relative heat levels of chillies are measured using the Scoville heat units scale and it is based on the amount of capsaicinoids, a group of chemical compounds, that make chillies hot.
 
The scale is named after American chemist Wilbur Scoville, who developed a test for rating the pungency of chilli peppers in 1912.

The hottest chilli pepper in the world is Bhut Jolokia, a naturally occurring hybrid native to India. It measures 1,001,304 Scoville heat units.

The second hottest chilli is the Red Savina habanero, a variety cultivated in the United States, which measures 577,000 Scoville heat units.

The next hottest group of chillies includes Orange habanero, which measures about 210,000 Scoville heat units.

HOW TO EAT SPICY FOODS
When eating Buffalo wings, avoid handling the wings with fingers as the spices might cause a burning sensation on the skin. For the same reason, avoid getting sauce all over the lips as one might end up with bee-stung lips.

When eating ma la hot pot, remove the cooked ingredients from the centre of the pot if you prefer something less spicy because the chilli oil usually pools on the sides.

When wiping perspiration, mop the brows first before dabbing around the mouth. If done in reverse, spices from the mouth might get into the eyes.

After handling spicy food, wash your hands thoroughly before using the toilet or touching your face or someone else’s.

Based on experience, Mr Jerry Griffis of Sunset Grill & Pub finds that working one’s way up the different levels of spiciness gradually, in one sitting, is the most effective way of tackling extremely piquant foods.

Dr Law Ngai Moh, a gastroenterologist with Raffles Hospital, suggests eating non-spicy foods before and after consuming spicy foods to dilute the effect of spices on the stomach.

Drinking non-alcoholic and noncarbonated beverages, such as water will also help soothe the burning sensation in the mouth. He says that there is no conclusive scientific evidence that dairy beverages are more effective for this purpose.