Buldak spicy noodles are back on shelves in Denmark after the food authorities there canceled part of their recall decision concerning the famous Korean instant noodles product, originally issued due to their extreme spiciness and consequent health risks.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration announced, Monday (local time), that two of the three products that had been recalled were not harmful to health, based on updated risk assessments.

“Based on the new analysis results and the DTU Food Institute’s updated risk assessment, the administration concludes that two of the products, Samyang Buldak 2x Spicy Hot Chicken and Samyang Buldak Hot Chicken Stew, do not contain capsaicin levels as high as those reported by the distributors in the marketing,” the Danish administration said in a press release.

  • 0laura@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    the ban sounds like great advertising material.

    “so spicy that Denmark had to make it illegal”

    “are you stronger than the entire country of Denmark?”

    “criminally spicy”

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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      5 months ago

      When Monty Python’s The Life of Brian came out, Norway banned it. Sweden then advertised it as “the film so funny that it was banned in Norway.”

    • CaptPretentious@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      You’re not wrong. My interest in that brand jumped. But reviews basically said “it’s just spicy, not great flavor”

      • DominusOfMegadeus@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        I thought it was delicious. And that’s when trying to eat the black package, which was so spicy I very nearly threw up. But it still tasted delicious.

        • 0laura@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I tried them and really enjoyed it. it was an amazing experience. wouldn’t call it delicious tho. more comparable to skydiving than a meal.

    • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      It would have been until they measured the capsaisin levels and declared it not as spicy as they were told.

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Notice the ban was based on the information given by the dealers themselves.
    When the actual lab results came back it turned out to be not quite as strong as advertised.
    So I guess it’s false advertising, but that’s probably another department.

    • AwesomeLowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      According to the report, the capsaicin levels were calculated based on the Scoville scale information disclosed on Danish retail websites selling the noodles, rather than the noodles themselves, as no specific measurements of capsaicin or total capsaicin content are provided by the manufacturer.

      False advertising by the Danish themselves.

      • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Which is why I wrote dealer, not the manufacturer.
        But where is the most likely place for the dealer to get those numbers?

          • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Maybe, but that now makes them guilty of false marketing, and Denmark is generally pretty strict about that too.

          • ulterno@lemmy.kde.social
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            5 months ago

            Yeah, they probably ate other spicier food along with the Buldak stuff, causing their excrement to have a higher amount of capsaicin, than was in the original product. Hence, the false advertising.

            CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

      • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The scoville scale is itself fairly flakey.

        Using the amount of capsaicin per unit of weight would make much more sense.

        • barsoap@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          That’s generally how SCU are measured nowadays: They’re measuring the concentration of three or four types of molecule, then weigh them according to how hot they’re perceived to be. The scale itself is very sensible: “I have a litre bottle of red sriracha, it has 3000 SCU, that means if dilute it with 3000l (3m3) of water I won’t taste any heat any more”.

    • vxx@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      However, the Danish authorities maintained the recall decision on Buldak 3x Spicy Hot Chicken, the spiciest product in the Buldak line, stating that it is still believed to be harmful to health. They cited the high capsaicin level as posing a risk to consumers developing acute poisoning upon consumption.

  • Siegfried@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    They should have advertised it in norway as “so spicy, it had to be banned in denmark”

  • tacosplease@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The thumbnail is somehow a gif with flames over the cup, but then you click it, and the picture in the article does not have the flames.

  • Bosht@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Man I’m all for spicy but there’s a point for me when I can’t even enjoy the flavor that just kills it. As much as I want to love them, I haven’t found a version that isn’t ‘light you life on fire’ hot.

  • deranger@sh.itjust.works
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    5 months ago

    Someone got the 3x spicy buldak where I work and it’s hot as fuck. I didn’t know there was a 3x version, the 2x was already hotter than I like. Still had to try it.

  • antaymonkey@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    A coworker of mine introduced me to these about five or six years ago, when they could only be acquired in specialty Asian grocery stores. Now I can get them at Shaws and I fuckin love them. I’ve got three packs in my pantry at the moment. They’re best if you add microwaved chicken nuggets to them.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I actually tried a pack after seeing the previous article and recognizing them in the store. So news article marketing worked.

      They’re really spicy though. To a level where it’s no longer enjoyable. On my second pack I only added 1/3 the included sauce and it was far better. I was used to Nissin packets of Soba-chili noodles and loved those. These Buldak packs are like 4-5 times as spicy.

      • SendMePhotos@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        They are hotter than a habenero burn. It is a slow burn though, so it’s mellow. If you aren’t used to that heat, it may be uncomfortable.

  • barsoap@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Speaking of, Scovilles should generally be listed on packaging, also, when you buy raw chillis, some approximate number of what you can expect. At least for stuff over what 500 or so.

    Their tamest ones have ~9000, that’s 3x red Sriracha meanwhile there’s other products on the shelves where “extra hot” means 2000 SCU no wonder people are calling poison hotlines.

  • Dearth@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I got some buldak instant noodles to try. They are very very spicy. Ive definitely been served spicier foods at restaurants, but i dont think ive ever had a spicier instant ramen packet

  • John_McMurray@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Lee Nong Shim spicy are the best though. I don’t like their Black variety, but standard red spicy rock. I’ve a feeling they’re a connected brand or a relabel.

    • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 months ago

      Naw Nongshim and Samyang are different companies. Samyang is actually the first instant ramen company in SK, while Nongshim is the largest instant noodles company in SK. Completely different ramens too, Nongshim’s is powder/veg packet, Samyang’s is a red ass hot sauce packet (well, for their flagship, they have more flavors). And Samyang is much hotter, but they’re both good!

      I like good instant noodles…