Feel the Burn

Cook Rushed to Hospital After Eating Ghost Chile Pepper Sauce

A spoonful ... of danger.
A spoonful … of danger. Photo: Danny Kim

A 26-year-old cook in London was taste-testing his restaurant’s “ultimate flaming hot chicken wings” in front of cheering customers when things went horribly wrong. Arif Ali started sweating while eating the wings, which were slicked with a sauce made from Naga Bhut Jolokia, or ghost chile peppers. He drank milk in an attempt quell the burn before gasping and ultimately collapsing on a dining room table. Ali was taken to a nearby hospital, treated and released, but reported severe stomach cramps and diarrhea for a week afterwards. The wings were prospective menu items at Jimmy’s in London, and the restaurant intended to challenge customers to eat as many as they could withstand. “We have now decided in the interests of customer safety,” Jimmy’s manager tells the Mail, “not to put this particular item on our menu.” [Daily Mail UK]

Cook Rushed to Hospital After Eating Ghost Chile Pepper Sauce