Denmark has recalled several spicy ramen noodle products by South Korean company Samyang, claiming that the capsaicin levels in them could poison consumers.
Three fiery flavours of the Samyang instant ramen line are being withdrawn: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Stew.
Denmark’s food agency issued the recall and warning on Tuesday, urging consumers to abandon the product.
But the maker Samyang says there’s no problem with the quality of the food.
“We understand that the Danish food authority recalled the products, not because of a problem in their quality but because they were too spicy,” the firm said in a statement to the BBC.
“The products are being exported globally. But this is the first time they have been recalled for the above reason.”
It’s unknown if any specific incidents in Denmark had prompted authorities there to take action.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said it had assessed the levels of capsaicin in a single packet to be “so high that they pose a risk of the consumer developing acute poisoning”.
“If you have the products, you should discard them or return them to the store where they were purchased,” it said in a statement.
It also emphasised the warning for children, for whom extremely spicy food can cause harm.
The notice has sparked heated discussion online with many amused reactions from lovers of spicy food. Many have made assertions about the Danes’ low tolerance for spice.
“I had a friend from Denmark who thought tasteless breaded shrimp with a little bit of ground pepper on it was too spicy. Not surprised they think this ramen is poison,” read one top-liked comment on the Reddit r/Korea group.
Samyang said it planned to “closely look into the local regulations” in Denmark and respond after that.
The noodles don’t appear to have been recalled before in any other country, nor have there been other safety warnings issued.
Capsaicin is the chemical compound in chilli peppers which creates the burning feeling.
When humans eat peppers, the capsaicin is released into saliva and binds on to receptors in the mouth.
Samyang is a major South Korean food manufacturer which brands itself as the first company in the country to create instant noodles, back in the 1960s.
Ground pepper spicy? I get that we all have different level of tolerance for spicy food but this is genuinely the first time ive heard of ground pepper being spicy for others.
One of my friends legit can’t handle black pepper, she says it’s just overwhelming
She also lacks a sense of smell, so it probably has something to do with that
I thought it wasn’t a real thing until at a recent family gathering when food talk came up and I found out one of my cousins apparently cant stand too much black pepper, her baby nieces have a higher tolerance for spice than her.
Plain bizarre to even conceive of.
I have a friend who considers Tomatoes spicy. YMMV on whether she has a mild allergy or something but y’know
Allergy is possible, esp if your friend has similar reactions to other nightshades like eggplant. Speaking for myself, I notice a reaction when I eat smaller tomatoes that have more peel to flesh, like roma or cherry. Not spicy but more like itchy/prickly. Still eat them tho
Huh, no. Favorite Veggie, never described as spicy at all
Black pepper is spicy. However, I only realized this like 15 or so years into my life when I made a Norwegian dish that called for copious amounts of whole peppercorns. In 99.9% of meals, you’re not using enough to make it spicy.
Black pepper is known for irritating your nose.
I see you never met my mother-in-law
Interestingly piperine actually does have a sensation of heat similar to capcaisin, and it works on a different enough pathway that a capcaisin tolerance doesn’t impact it. It’s much, much milder, but it is there.
So with my level of capcaisin tolerance something like a habenero pepper is roughly as mild as a whole peppercorn, and I’ll toss a half dozen or so whole peppercorns into my ramen that’s also spiced with red pepper and then mixed with ghost pepper in the bowl, because the peppercorns provide their own little distinct bursts of bitterness and heat when one crunches on one, which stands out from the background warmth of the soup.
If you use fresh ground peppercorns, eventually you will get a larger spicy bit stuck in your teeth or otherwise notice it on your tongue.