When summer arrives, what do Japanese people crave? Spicy food!

※This article was published at July 2015.※

During the hot summer months, a lot of people probably feel like eating cold food. 
Japanese people are of course the same, but lots of them also get a craving for spicy food!
And by spicy I don’t mean Japanese spices such as wasabi, but more exotic ones.
Here I’m going to be introducing some of the spicy foods that are most popular in summer.

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The most famous spicy food for summer is curry—not Japanese curry, but Asian ones, such as Indian or Thai.
They’re popular in summertime because the spicy kick gives people an energy boost.

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Thai food is perfect for the summertime, too.
As well as spicy food, sour-tasting food also goes down well in summer, so Thai food—which combines the two—is naturally a favorite.
The flavors of coriander and other herbs are also popular in summer.
What’s more, a lot of Thai food contains heaps of vegetables, so I’d definitely recommend it when you don’t feel that hungry.

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The spice and heat of Korean food, and the stamina boost that garlic gives, are perfect for summer.
Spicy soups—such as sundubu—and Korean hot pot are of course also popular in the winter, but lots of people like to eat them during summer.
Cool and spicy Korean cold noodles, naengmyeon, are another favorite!

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In China, Dandan noodle is thought of as a soupless noodle dish, but in Japan, variations with soup are much more common.
There’s nothing like tucking into a bowl of Dandan noodle and sweating from the spicy chili and hot soup!

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This is another Chinese dish, Mapo-doufu, made with sansho pepper, which has a spicy kick. 
One reason for its popularity during the summer months is that it goes really well with beer.

Lots of places that serve spicy food run special promotions during the summer months, so if you come to Japan in summer, why not try something spicy?


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