Fire in the Hole! or Guyanese Fire Cider

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So all my travels have apparently caught up with me. I am run down. An annoying cough, a rash and the sniffles. This is probably the first time I've been in any form of ill in many many years. And I'm impatient and wanna be better NOW! Now, Now!

How can you speed up recovering from a viral infection like a cold? Well, besides the typical: stay hydrated, decrease stress and increase sleep, there's not much you can do. Supposedly. But I'm a fan of herbal remedies in these instances of body weakness. So here's what I do. I make fire cider.

What is fire cider? Well only the best tasting drink you can only(if you wanna be socially acceptable) drink when sick. I'd drink it all the time but I always forget about it except when my body tells me to pay attention to it.

Here is the typical recipe:

1. ½ cup peeled and shredded/diced ginger root
2. ½ cup peeled and shredded/diced horseradish root
3. ½ cup white onion, chopped
4. ¼ cup minced or crushed garlic cloves
5. 2  jalapeno peppers, chopped
6. Zest and juice from 2  lemons
7. Raw apple cider vinegar

So here's the problem. At Bourda market, where I do my shopping I couldn't find horseradish and I'm pretty sure this country doesn't have jalapenos. And raw apple cider vinegar wasn't anywhere to be seen. 

So my recipe is: 

• 1 cup of ginger root
• 1/2 cup minced garlic cloves
• 4 Wiri Wiri Peppers*
• 1 lemon
• White wine vinegar

I skipped the white onion because I didn't think of it until I get home. It is a good flavor enhancer and according to wikipedia: "The phytochemicals in onions along with their vitamin C help improve immunity. Onions contain chromium, which assists in regulating blood sugar. For centuries, onions have been used to reduce inflammation and heal infections." Maybe I should have kept it in the recipe! 

*Okay so I had to look this up. I didn't know what the little red peppers were called until I looked it. I like that name: wiri wiri:) This is the pepper that is the basis for the sauce called pepper in Guyana. They are definitely hotter than jalapenos and usually I'll use 2-3 of them when cooking. BUT I'm sick dang it! I need to get better sooner... So 4 got thrown in. 

Shake it all up and let sit for a bit then you're ready.

Some people will put it over a salad or use in a tea but I just went ahead and gulped it! AWWWWWWWWW! I am have momentarily turned into a dragon. That is wasn't fire cider so much as flames of hell vinegar.

So after recovering from my initial guzzle, I slowed to sips and finished it-by the end quite enjoying it.

I decided to look up just exactly what those peppers were made of. Again, thanks to wikipedia, I found out that most Wiri Wiris have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 Scoville units. This is compared to a jalapeno which a rating of 2,500- 8,000! 

Hot! Be warned:)

So that's it. I am already feeling better. Maybe the key when sick is to make yourself feel worse and then when you return to still sick state, you feel better by comparison:)

Until next time,

Danny