There are few things, aside from cloves of raw garlic and durian, that I enjoy more than enriching my food with flaming hot chili peppers.

They are precious little beauties of pure tongue entertaining delight.

Some claim that “over-doing it on the chillies” overpowers the dish – and while this can be true – the satisfying pain of a chili pepper scorching the mouth is an overpowering sensation I (and many others around the world) long for.

So here is a little photo tribute to honor such a wonderful addition to the world: the chili pepper.

Originating in the Americas, chili peppers spread throughout the globe; Now they are a major ingredient in cuisines from Asia to Africa to South America.

When I visited Sri Lanka I was excited to find some dangerously spicy chili peppers.

The cobra chili (bottom right), as it’s known, is not quite as lethal as a cobra itself, but it comes pretty close!

In Thailand, though chillies are not native, they are widely used in many Thai dishes. One of the popular ways to enjoy fiery heat is by eating nam prik chili sauce along with raw or boiled vegetables.

At just about every Thai street food stall, you’ll find prik nam pla, diced chillies drowned in fish sauce.

Sauces and garnishes are among the most useful methods of serving chili peppers.

Sri Lankan hoppers are incomplete without a few spoons of lunu miris (kind of chili paste) and coconut sambol would flavorless without chili powder.

In South Korea chillies are especially used for their magical flavoring properties. Kimchi, Korea’s omnipresent condiment, is heavily composed of dry chili flakes.

Around the world, there are so many unique and outrageously delicious dishes that wouldn’t be the same without the chili pepper.

Thank your for joining me on this pictorial journey to honor the mighty chili pepper – a fruit that not only provides remarkable flavor, but also an intensely delicious burn!

Do you enjoy eating chili peppers? In what food?