The food authorities said the instant ramen contained such high capsaicin levels consumers could be poisoned.

Three fiery flavours of the Samyang instant ramen line are being withdrawn: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Hot Chicken Stew.

Denmark’s food agency issued the recall and warning on Tuesday, urging consumers to abandon the product.

It’s unknown if any specific incidents have prompted the Danish authorities into taking action.

  • pelya@lemmy.world
    0·
    18 days ago

    Samyang noodles are okay, I just add a bit more water than specified on the packaging.

    Beware that you need to boil the noodles for 3 minutes, they are not instant.

  • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
    0·
    18 days ago

    I tried these noodles once, and once only. They have more in common with riot control agents than with actual food, and there’s no reason to eat them other than to demonstrate toughness.

    I’m not saying Denmark is right in banning them, but they shouldn’t be sold alongside food. Perhaps keep them in a locked cabinet behind the counter, next to fireworks and such.

    • MagicShel@programming.dev
      0·
      18 days ago

      I was inspired to eat one now (different flavor so probably not as spicy). The spice is fine but the noodles are gross. I think I’m just going to use the flavor packets with Top or Maruchan ramen.

      • sushibowl@feddit.nl
        0·
        18 days ago

        You can buy the spicy sauce in a bottle, I have one in the fridge and throw it on my rice regularly. I like the noodles personally (not the carbonara flavor that seems to be popular now, it’s not for me). Maybe Korean style ramyun is just not your thing.

      • setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world
        0·
        18 days ago

        Frozen tteokbokki takes slightly longer to make, but is worth a few extra minutes.

        I like the Ktown Mad Spicy as a pretty consistent go-to. You can make your own and go even hotter, but of course less convenient than frozen.

        • TheOakTree@lemm.ee
          0·
          17 days ago

          +1 for Ktown Mad Spicy.

          However I must point out they are not rice cakes, but wheat cakes. Also, tteokbokki benefits a lot from having some cabbage and onion mixed into it… delicious!

    • sushibowl@feddit.nl
      0·
      18 days ago

      The regular ones are one of my favorite ramen packet brands. I’ve never tried the 2x or 3x spicy types. I could see 2x being good because you definitely build up a tolerance and I find the normal ones don’t quite give the same kick anymore. 3x seems excessive but who knows.

  • cordlesslamp@lemmy.today
    0·
    19 days ago

    Never understand the appealing of extremely spicy foods. You can barely taste any flavor behind the hotness, you’re torturing yourself and causing literal harms to your intestines and guts microbes for a pack of fuckin instant noodles.

    • zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
      0·
      19 days ago

      The 1x is super tasty, but yeah after that it’s just got it doesn’t taste better. Dick measuring at that point

    • Lmaydev@programming.dev
      0·
      19 days ago

      My ex could barely taste the heat so they loved everything crazy hot by normal standards.

      Not everyone has extreme reactions to it.

    • 🇰 🔵 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.netEnglish
      0·
      19 days ago

      I’ve tried so many spicy things and I have the same thoughts. The hottest thing that still retains flavors, imo, is a habanero. I’ve tried tons of peppers and the sauces featured on Hot Ones and, yeah they are certainly hot; but there’s not really any nuance and anything you put them on will taste entirely like the sauce. Even with just a dab.

    • NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml
      0·
      19 days ago

      a pain tolerance builds up fast and people like the endorphin high that comes with the intense heat.

      • cordlesslamp@lemmy.today
        0·
        19 days ago

        Saw a guy on YT eating hot wings with some sauce that’s rated like a million scoville, then the dude wipe his tear with his hands.

        Poor dude, but the endorphins must have felt great.

        • setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world
          0·
          18 days ago

          Are you able to parse the difference between people who eat hot food because they enjoy it, and people who don’t normally eat hot food being fed extremely hot food for YouTube clicks?

      • Phenomephrene@thebrainbin.org
        0·
        18 days ago

        Is anyone who enjoys something that you don’t measuring their dick, or does it have something to do with the inherent double entendre related to noodles?

        I mean, when I eat spicy things I’m not even thinking about my genitals; I’m enjoying my food.

        • UnityDevice@startrek.website
          0·
          18 days ago

          I never said I don’t enjoy spicy food. But it’s so obviously a dick measuring contest for most people. No one talks about how much salt they can “handle”, no one makes fun of people for not being able to stomach a really sweet energy drink. But with capsaicin it’s so prevalent, it’s a whole subculture dedicated to pissing in a line. I mean this whole thread is only popular because the initial proposed underlying thought is “haha, Denmark can’t handle spice”. It’s all very juvenile.

          • john_lemmy@slrpnk.net
            0·
            18 days ago

            It also clashes a bit with how I understand enjoying food. I get that you can maybe build up a tolerance to capsaicin that’s different to a “sugar tolerance”, but typically I don’t go for the food with the most sweet flavor or the most smoky flavor just because I like those specific flavors. Why, following a similar logic there would be a smoked food challenge where people eat fucking charcoal, no?

      • cordlesslamp@lemmy.today
        0·
        19 days ago

        me, looking down at my pants Ohhhhh, so that’s why I’ve never felt the need to do any of that, I eat my noodles normally and I drive a subcompact, if you know what I mean. ;)

  • Todd Bonzalez@lemm.ee
    0·
    18 days ago

    This stuff is not that spicy. I mean, yeah, it’s a lot hotter than most hot foods, but if you’re worried about being “poisoned”, this ain’t it. You’d need to just be eating lots of straight seasoning packets, and you’ll probably poison yourself with salt well before ingesting a health-threatening amount of chili pepper…

  • loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    19 days ago

    I think these noodles may have given me diarrhea, but it’s also possible I just happened to have it for another reason. Either way I’m not in Denmark, so that wasn’t the incident.

  • HejMedDig@feddit.dk
    0·
    19 days ago

    They were recalled because the level of Capsaicin has caused symptoms of poisoning in younger individuals. A consumer asked the board of food and safety if it was really allowed to sell the strong variants. They looked at them, and measured that they contained even more Capsaicin than the Hot Chip Challenge, which has caused hospitalizations in Germany. Combined with it being a TikTok/Instagram trend to try and eat them, food and safety decided to recall them

    I really like the stew ones, x3 were just dumb

    • ccunning@lemmy.world
      0·
      18 days ago

      They were recalled because the level of Capsaicin has caused symptoms of poisoning in younger individuals

      Is it really “poisoning” if some subset of consumers can’t eat something?

      Like if some Danes are severely allergic to shellfish are they going to pull all crabs off the market?

      If it’s temporary until labeling standards can be defined and implemented, that makes sense to me but just blanket removal seems like an overreaction.

    • enkers@sh.itjust.works
      0·
      18 days ago

      I found the x2 were pretty tasty, but it’d be unpleasant for a few hours before the ring of fire, and that’d usually disrupt my sleep a bit, so it wasn’t worth it. I just went with the regular spice level instead. I haven’t tried the x3, but it seems like it’s getting a bit silly by that point.

    • Chee_Koala@lemmy.world
      0·
      18 days ago

      I had a 1x spicy variant from these producers and it was pretty intense but still enjoyable, and I’m used to some heat but normally try to stay below 100.000 Scoville (ish) to still have fun. I can imagine if you are used to nothing spicywise and try their 3x spicy stuff you might get poisoning. Maybe the time is ripe to have a global rating or warning label for spicy foods. Everyone always already tries to convey the spicyness-level, especially for guests/tourists and such. Why not try to make a standard for spicy warnings, you could even have region variability like in clothing labels.

  • AItoothbrush@lemmy.zipEnglish
    0·
    19 days ago

    I tried the spiciest one and yeah it was insanely hot but nothing else. It was like eating noodles with capsaicin, no flavour at all.

  • grrgyle@slrpnk.net
    0·
    18 days ago

    My partner loves these and can’t understand how I find them painfully spicy. Like sure there’s some enjoyment to be had while slurping away, but as soon as I’m done the wheel of pain starts to turn and my body rebels against the assault with every cell seemingly screaming in unison

    I suppose it’s my own fault. I mean look at the packaging: that’s a warning

      • Leg@lemmy.world
        0·
        18 days ago

        Yup. I mentally prepare myself for the oncoming battle with death over the porcelain throne every time I decide to indulge in demon ramen. I’ve made peace with this part of my life.

  • notaviking@lemmy.world
    0·
    18 days ago

    This is like the best advertisement ever for the brand. Like they get the infamy without killing someone, basically became certified cool like the warning sticker on music albums in the 90s

  • cm0002@lemmy.world
    0·
    19 days ago

    So any folks out there in Denmark, feel free to send those to me…for…“disposal”

  • DudeImMacGyver@sh.itjust.works
    0·
    18 days ago

    Oh, no! Send it to me, I’ll take care of it.

    I say this having just finished a big bowl of noodles, pork, onions, carrots, and cabbage doused in sriracha

    • setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world
      0·
      18 days ago

      You might have a high spice tolerance, I don’t know, but if you are exemplifying Sriracha as an example, I would suggest caution. Korean spicy food doesn’t play when it says things like “2x heat!” on the package.

      Sriracha is about 2200SHU, the recalled noodles are 10,000SHU.

      If you enjoy it, it’s a good heat, but some people don’t quite know what they are getting into.

      • PsychedSy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        0·
        17 days ago

        SHU is weird anyway. I’ve tried toothpick drops of the Source (7.1m) and it wasn’t all that bad, but a good chili oil will fuck me. There are a lot of variables. How it coats your mouth and what you’re having with it matters a lot, too.

        • setsneedtofeed@lemmy.world
          0·
          17 days ago

          It’s true that it’s an imperfect measurement, but it is the closest to a useful illustration that I have.

          I’m trying to avoid the whole one upping thing while just warning that if Sriracha is given an example of peak spicy, I’d caution to start slow on Korean hot foods that are labeled with extreme packaging. Not saying don’t try, but small bites to check instead of diving in.

          • PsychedSy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            0·
            17 days ago

            That’s very fair. Small bites, and don’t hesitate to dress it up to see if it can be made to suit. There are prolly thousands of videos on adding stuff to noodles, and some will lessen the heat.