When the popularity of chili oil exploded, store shelves were emptied

Crunchy garlic chili-sesame oil has proven in a year that it is not just a hit of the moment. Similarly, nduja’s popularity is only getting stronger.

Pirka’s crispy garlic chili-sesame oil, which became a big hit on Some last spring, is still popular with consumers.

A year ago, its sales tripled in a short time, and during the year it has doubled. It is not at all unusual that the shelves of the store are gaping with emptiness, especially when it comes to chili-sesame oil.

Another hit paste is the Italian nduja. It is a spicy spread made in Calabria, Italy, made from pork and seasoned with spicy peperoncinochili.

In fact, fiery nduja has entered canned food selections during 2021. Just two or three years ago, nduja was not a shelf product in a local store. You could only get it in deli stores.

Now nduja has conquered all markets and some of the chains have their own, affordable nduja. The color is orange-red and the taste has a gentle kick.

Kesko’s statistics show that nduja’s sales grew by around 70 percent last year. Even at the beginning of the year, in January-March, the sales growth was about 50 percent.

The trend of using chili is rising. Kesko reports that fresh chili is also increasingly finding its way into home kitchens. Its sales have grown by about 35 percent in the last five years.

Both crispy garlic chili-sesame oil and nduja have participated in Iltalehti’s food competition Golden Pepper.

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