Fiery Food Fest - grown by the inmates of a Guatemalan insanity asylum.

Behold! The almighty Guatemalan Insanity Pepper! Chief Wiggum’s ticket to Chilli Cookoff Stardom and rival to the hottest chili in the world, the Naga Jolokia from India, the red-carpet star of this year’s Fiery Food Festival down at Brighton Marina. Not only did Fallen Angel Brewery brew it into their “Black Death” beer (which I knew better than to try) but Cocoa Loco has gone and mixed it in with their chocolate AND their brownies. I contemplated not trying but then my friend Sarah bought me some and I didn’t want to be rude. I paid for it later and I only had the tiniest of bites. Apparently the Naga Jolokia is about 8 times hotter than the Habanero (Scotch Bonnet) pepper which yours truly, even being a chili lover, is too afraid to handle without gloves.

So other than the lure of the world’s hottest chili, this year’s Fiery Foods fest had many other goodies to entice even the most timid of chili virgins. On hand to try was Moroccan, Caribbean, Indian and Chinese cuisine (but no Mexican! what is WITH these Brits?) as well as stall after stall of chutneys, jams, hot sauces, relishes, marinades and dried chilis. Stephen and I opted for Moroccan and had a very large and very lovely Moroccan chicken wrap which was scarfed down in less than 5 minutes due to the rain and lack of shelter.

One stall I made sure to visit was this one here. I have a serious weakness for Chili Jam (or Pepper Jam as it’s known in the States). I could dump an entire jar of it on a brick of Philadelphia cream cheese and slather it on crackers until I’m passed out on the sofa, knife in one hand and cracker in the other. We ran into the folks who run the Chili Queen’s “Chelly” stall and had a nice chat about possible places that could stock it here in Brighton. I did it purely for them, there was no selfish motivation there WHATSOEVER.

Also on hand was my main man with the ginger-dreads, Chili Pepper Pete. Pete has rescued me from having to bring back tin after tin of chipotle peppers from the States and has also turned me on to many other fantastic chili blends, like Peri Peri. His prices are incredibly reasonable and can be found at Taj, Infinity Foods and Sussex in the City. Of course, if you’re too lazy you can always order online. Stephen kept pressing me to ask him for a picture together but I was feeling a bit shy. I wish I did because he’s a dinner guest I’d love to have! She says a bit on the sly…

It was unfortunate that the weather was so incredibly shite all weekend long because I think that kept a lot of people away. I wish they could find a better venue than the Marina, which I avoid like the plague. Hopefully all of these fine goodies will be on display again this weekend at the Taste of Sussex Food Festival event on Jubilee Street and North Road. Be there or be *draws square shape with her fingers*!!