Supposedly the world’s hottest hot dogs are manufactured and sold by Hell Dog in the Old Town.

After having witnessed a chili-eating contest in Nagaland, northeast India, I have promised myself never to try this, ever.

You don’t mess around with capsicum measured at 1.4 million on the Scoville Scale, which is what you get in a Harakiri hot dog. This one is Hell Dog’s main claim to fame and is so hot, Hell Dog makes you sign an agreement where you take all responsibility for “any damages, physical or psychological, the intense heat may cause”.

The hot dog, by the way, is the number one snack consumed by Swedes found hungry between watering holes after dark. If you manage to actually eat the Harikiri including the bun and don’t spill any, you receive a T-shirt celebrating the feat.

Not up for the challenge? Luckily Jesper Levin who operates the stand has a few less fortified hot dogs on the menu for those of us who just don’t have the cojones or are still sober enough to think straight. One can tell Jesper is genuinely serious about his hot dog and burger enterprise. He has regulars that drop by from Uppsala during the weekends implying there is more to his food than just an insane amount of spice.

One of his recent inventions is a hot dog filled with cheddar cheese and to which he applies a blowtorch before serving. How’s that for a helluva hot dog.