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Alright, so you like spicy food. What’s that? You REALLY like spicy food. Well, you’ve come to the right place. This page is entirely dedicated to helping you improve in your quest to spice things up. Whether your goal is to master the history of the chili pepper, the delicate balance within spicy food, impress some friends and your next BBQ get together with a homemade sauce, or blow the nips off of some boastful chili heads, we have outlined a plan to do so, below.

It is a series of books and equipment that we have found intriguing and enriching for a countless number of reasons. These resources are relevant and serve a purpose, guaranteed to help you jump start your journey into spicy foods!

The reading has been laid out in a way that will help you create a solid foundation for the more complex topics and research that we hope you will be inspired to read. Earlier readings are easier and provide a handful of “starting point” recipes. If this is enough for you, then great! If you want more, check out the resources we have included which dive into the history of Chile Peppers and cultural cuisine associated with their use. Lastly, for those green thumbs out there, we have included an extensive library of our favorite gardening books and resources for your reference. We hope you enjoy and look forward to trying your spicy concoctions soon!

Reading

Level 1 (Foundation, Fundamentals, Framework)

  1. The Flavor Bible – Hands down a must have book for any home cook, spicy or not spicy. The techniques, pairings, and ideas shared within this book from over 100 renowned chef’s in invaluable and something we haven’t found anywhere else.
  2. The Hot Sauce Encyclopedia – The name states it all. This book pretty much covers every hot sauce, ever.
  3. Hot Sauce! – Get off on the right foot by learning the basic techniques for making hot sauce at home. This book contains simple hot sauce recipes for beginners as well as advanced recipes that can be used to elevate your game on the BBQ grill and more.
  4. The Hot Sauce Cookbook – Over 60 hot sauce and hot sauce based recipes to get you up and cooking in the kitchen.
  5. The Hot Sauce Bible – The “Pope of Peppers” and food historian Dave DeWitt with Chuck Evans come together to bring us details on over 1,700 sauces including folklore, and history behind each and every one.

Level 2 (Advanced styles and Fermentation)

  1. Salsas and Moles – This book is packed full of authentic recipes that go beyond simple hot sauce. Included in Level 2 reading because of its required time commitment and understanding of how flavors play on one another.
  2. Fiery Ferments – Ready to take it to the next level? Check out the world of fermented hot sauces, kimchi, pickles, and much more!
  3. The Art of Fermentation – This text goes beyond hot sauce and spicy food but is a fantastic reference book for anyone interested in exploring the art of fermentation.

Other Fun Reads

  1. Hot Sauce Nation – A fun journey through the history, culture, and influence that spicy food and hot sauce is having on America.
  2. Chile Trivia Book – Be the one who can surprise all of your friends with some weird, wacky, fun trivia about chilies!

Gardening and Plant Knowledge

  1. Jalapenos – (Pepper Pantry Series)
  2. Habaneros – (Pepper Pantry Series)
  3. Ancho & Pablano Chiles – (Pepper Pantry Series)
  4. New Mexican Chiles – (Pepper Pantry Series)
  5. A Field Guide to Peppers – A personal favorite and excellent reference book for those looking to improve their gardens or pair their pepper plants!
  6. The Chile Pepper Encyclopedia
  7. The Complete Chile Pepper Book