Sriracha Week 2014 Will Live Forever in our Hearts

We came, we saw, we set our tongues on fire. Here are our favorite moments from five spicy days

March 7, 2014

As Sriracha Week draws to a close, we've gathered our favorite moments from five epically spicy days. From recipes to reader selfies, and everything in between—we came, we saw, we set our tongues on fire. Thanks for celebrating with us! See you next year for <del>National</del> International Sriracha Week! (Psst...you know we invented it, right? It's not actually official.)

Etsy
1/15
Everything Spicy
We kicked things off with an explanation of Sriracha Week: Five days of covering everything spicy. We found out whether chiles are good or bad for you, shared chefs' first experiences with hot sauce, composed a poetic history of chiles, investigated the litigious side of chile peppers, found gifts for the spice lover who has everything, and answered the questions about chile peppers that you never knew to ask.
Matt Duckor
2/15
Spicing Things Up
We consumed chiles in everything. Cocktails. Chocolate mousse. Beer. (Yes, spicy beers exist!) A festive three-course Thai dinner party. And we shared our favorite hot and spicy recipes of all time.

Flickr / tribalicious
3/15
Turning Children into Chile Heads
We shared tips for getting kids to enjoy—or at least tolerate—spicy food. And you, dear readers, responded with a fiery debate on the scruples of coercing children into eating things they don't like.
Matt Duckor
4/15
Feeling the Burn
We fed Thai chiles to people in Times Square—and captured their reactions in GIF form. (Too bad they didn't know about the best ways to cool down chile heat.) We taught you the right way to use Sriracha in Vietnamese pho. We shared our secret recipe for the official hot sauce of Sriracha Week (which is not Sriracha). The BA test kitchen provided insider knowledge on when to use fresh vs dried vs powdered chiles—they also waxed poetic about their favorite hot sauces.

Instagram / jenx73
5/15
How Do YOU Use Sriracha?
On Instagram, you showed us how to put Sriracha on, well... everything. @jenx73 uses it as a dipping sauce for mango slices. Why didn't we think of that?
Instagram / hiramcamillo
6/15
How Do YOU Use Sriracha (continued)
@hiramcamillo dabs it on red bananas and masa steamed in cornhusks.

instagram / moetetkatie
7/15
How Do YOU Use Sriracha? (continued)
@moetetkatie puts it on peanut butter toast (just like us!).
Instagram / stephanieliebold
8/15
How Do YOU Use Sriracha? (continued)
It's heating up the Peruvian bean chili of @stephanieliebold.

Instagram / carmineskid2
9/15
How Do YOU Use Sriracha? (continued)
@carmineskid2 whipped up a batch of the homemade stuff.
Instagram / britandco
10/15
How Do YOU Use Sriracha? (continued)
Some people even use it as ink. (Sriracha Week loves you too, @britandco!)

Facebook / Todd Dwyer
11/15
Sriracha Selfies
But our favorite part of Sriracha Week was seeing YOU, and all the ways you love, eat, and otherwise use hot sauce. In this photo from Facebook, reader Todd Dwyer proves himself a true Sriracha addict.
Facebook / Jeremiah Lucey
12/15
Sriracha Selfies (continued)
Reader Jeremiah Lucey shows off his spicy style.

Shane Delia
13/15
Sriracha Selfies (continued)
For chef Shane Delia at Maha in Melbourne, Australia, it's a cure for male pattern baldness (not scientifically tested). **
14/15
Sriracha Selfies (continued)
Chef Dale Talde—owner of New York City's TALDE, Thistle Hill Tavern, and Pork Slope—could eat it straight from the bottle.