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The internet is ablaze with this news related to several popular instant noodle products from Samyang, a Korean manufacturer known for its super spicy flavours and viral challenges.
The reality is that in Danish food culture, spiciness is not usually an option, both because of the geography and the climate. The latter is then considered a kind of ‘poison’ that is now associated with Buldak ramen; one that has even been shared as a traumatic experience after tasting it.
Following in this wake, a Reddit post on r/KoreanFood spoke of his own tasting of the ramen in particular: ‘Once I tried the 2x spicy packet and put all the spice sauce in, it was so [spicy] I thought I needed to go to the hospital to get my stomach pumped’.
Denmark has therefore decided to recall three Samyang products so far: Buldak 3x Spicy & Hot Chicken, 2x Spicy & Hot Chicken and Spicy Chicken Stew. According to the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, each packet contains a dangerous amount of capsaicin that could poison consumers. Internet users, on the other hand, have made a parody of this.
NBC News was able to get Samyang’s take on the spicy situation: ‘Although these products are currently exported all over the world, this is the first time they have been recalled for this reason. Given the lack of clear regulation in EU food legislation on capsaicin levels, we are addressing this recall accordingly.’
