The hot and spicy world of extreme foods

Sports, sex, makeovers—these days, anything and everything is extreme. This week, we’re sorry to say, we are learning about “extreme foods.” A guy in New Jersey named Blair Lazar is king of the category—he runs a company called, yes, Extreme Foods, and has just released a hot sauce that is reputed to be 30 times hotter than the spiciest pepper and 8,000 times stronger than Tabasco. “16 Million Reserve” (the figure refers to the sauce’s score on the “Scoville” heat index) is an ultra-refined version of chili powder. People who buy it must sign a waiver absolving Lazar of liability if they are foolish enough to try it. Manufactured in what sounds like a chemistry lab, it’s not meant to actually be ingested—it’s just too damn extreme, evidently. Of course, the product already has a cult following among rabid hot sauce fans.

—Posted by Tim Nudd

May 11, 2005 | Permalink