全球范围内，极辣食物正在迅速扩张，多个指标显示其增长速度和覆盖面显著提升。新加坡武吉士市场周边近年来至少新增15家主打重麻重辣火锅的餐厅；柏林一年一度的辣椒节参与人数从2020年的500人增长到去年的6500多人；美国餐饮市场中，“甜辣结合”的“swicy”概念正加速进入主流菜单。2024年一项覆盖12个主要市场的调查显示，约三分之二的消费者在过去一年中提高了饮食辣度。

数据表明，辣味食品的渗透率已远超其原始地域基础。在中国，140万家餐厅中约三分之一主打湖南或四川风味，而这两个省份人口占全国比例仅略高于10%。在美国，95%的餐厅至少提供一道高辣度菜品，且辣味已扩展至披萨、汉堡、饮料和甜点。代际差异同样明显：2024年调查显示，超过一半的美国Z世代自称是辣酱“鉴赏家”，而普通人群比例约为三分之一。

供给侧正在迅速响应这一需求。韩国三养食品表示难以满足需求，其美国销售额在2024年同比翻倍至2.8亿美元，并在次年预计再增长60%。极辣拉面、零食和饮料在社交媒体上获得数千万次观看，推动辣味从小众挑战转向大众消费。企业将辣味作为替代脂肪、盐和糖的手段，也提高了其商业吸引力，显示这一趋势兼具文化扩散与长期经济潜力。

Across the globe, extremely spicy food is expanding rapidly, with multiple indicators showing sharp growth in both scale and reach. Around Singapore’s Bugis Market, at least 15 extra-spicy hotpot restaurants have opened in recent years; Berlin’s annual chile festival grew from 500 participants in 2020 to more than 6,500 last year; and in the US, the “swicy” sweet-heat trend is spreading quickly across mainstream menus. A 2024 survey across 12 major markets found that about two-thirds of consumers increased the spice level of their meals over the past year.

Data show that spicy food penetration far exceeds its original regional base. In China, about one-third of the country’s 1.4 million restaurants serve Hunan or Sichuan cuisine, even though those provinces account for just over 10% of the population. In the US, 95% of restaurants offer at least one highly spicy item, with heat extending into pizza, burgers, drinks, and desserts. Generational gaps are pronounced: a 2024 survey found more than half of Gen Z Americans identify as hot sauce “connoisseurs,” compared with roughly one-third of the general population.

Producers are responding quickly. South Korea’s Samyang Foods says demand is outstripping supply, with US sales doubling in 2024 to $280 million and projected to rise another 60% the following year. Ultra-spicy noodles, snacks, and drinks generate tens of millions of social media views, shifting heat from niche challenge to mass consumption. Companies also use spice to replace fat, salt, or sugar, increasing its commercial appeal and signaling a trend with both cultural diffusion and durable economic potential.