Denmark: Viral instant ramen is so spicy it's being recalled

Hong Kong/Seoul
CNN
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Three varieties of “fire chicken” instant ramen noodles, popularized by a viral internet challenge, have been recalled in Denmark after being found to be too spicy.

The level of capsaicin found in Buldak Hot Chicken Ramen 3x Spicy, Buldak Hot Chicken Ramen 2x Spicy and Hot Chicken Stew was so high that it could poison consumers, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration said in a statement released Tuesday.

Capsaicin is a spicy chemical naturally found in chili peppers.

South Korean noodle giant Samyang, which developed the ramen, said Wednesday the products were not being recalled due to quality issues.

That's “because it's so spicy that it could cause problems,” a spokesperson told CNN. “This is the first time they have been subject to (a) recall for this reason.”

The Danish regulator did not specify whether the recall was motivated by a specific incident. He urged consumers to throw away the products or return them to where they were purchased.

Instant noodles originated in Japan but have become a staple in Asia. Samyang prides itself on producing South Korea's first instant ramen in 1963, when the country was mired in post-war poverty and in need of cheap, accessible food sources.

Samyang was the country's third-largest noodle maker after Ottugi and Nongshim in terms of sales in 2022, the latest year for which information was available, according to NICE Information Service, a research firm.

Buldak, meaning “fire chicken” in Korean, was developed by Samyang's chief executive, Kim Jung-soo, a housewife who married into the family business and eventually took over. She told the Wall Street Journal in January that she was inspired by a spicy stir-fry.

The noodles were launched in 2012 and popularized on social media by influencers touting the “Fire Noodles Challenge.” In March, rapper Cardi B reignited the craze with a TikTok video.

According to taste testers, the original buldak ramen scored around 4,000 on the Scoville scale, which is roughly equivalent to the spiciness of jalapeños. Some of the new flavors could be two or three times hotter, they said.