Instructions: Combine the chilies, tomato, onion, cilantro, 3 tablespoons sour orange juice, and salt in a serving bowl. Toss to mix. Correct the seasoning, adding more sour orange juice if necessary. The salsa tastes best served within 3 hours of making.

Makes about 1 cup; enough to serve 4 to 6.

Note: You can blunt the salsa bite a little by seeding the chilies. Of course, youll lose a great measure of authenticity.

The worlds most colorfully named salsa-xni pec (pronounced "shnee pek")

is also one of the worlds hottest. Xni is the Mayan word for "dog", pec for "nose". Just why its thus named is a matter of debate. The most likely explanation is that the chilies make your nose run, an effect I can readily attest to. And a dogs nose is always wet. Ive given a range of chilies-a person from the Yucatan would use the full eight. There is more to this fighter than heat alone. The onion, tomato, cilantro, and sour orange create a complex play of flavors.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.