When the balance of fruit and spicy flavors is just right, “I love it,” a fellow customer at a dessert café in London tells me as we wait to be served. Hannah, 26, is visiting Mango Twist in Seven Sisters for the third time. The café serves South American-inspired slushies and fruit bowls. She’s here, like me, to try one of its “fricy” (fruity and spicy) options: the “Volcano” slushie, which is the café’s version of the traditional Mexican chamoyada, a mango and chili drink.
Hannah has family in the US, so she’s familiar with the Mexican sweets that are common there. As a child, she was “obsessed” with those flavors. So when she found out about Mango Twist, “I was like, ‘I need to come here,'” she says.
Of course, we have social media to thank for the term “fricy,” which joins “swicy” (sweet and spicy) and “swavoury” (sweet and savory) in the growing list of silly food trend portmanteaus. “It is kind of a silly word,” admits Holly Thomson, food editor at online food retailer Sous Chef. “But it is translating into sales.” The website’s sales of what Thomson calls the “hero product” of the fricy trend—the lime and chili Mexican spice blend Tajín—are up 19% year on year so far in 2026. Meanwhile, Waitrose reports that sales of its Mango Amba Sauce, a spicy mango condiment from Iraqi-Jewish cuisine, have increased by 30% in the last year. And Stuart McAllister, managing director of hot sauce retailer Hot-Headz!, says his company has seen a surge in sales of fricy sauces over the past six to 12 months, with pineapple and mango hot sauces proving especially popular.
When my Volcano slushie arrives, it’s certainly eye-catching: bright yellow juice and spiralized mango contrast with the red chamoy sauce, made from pickled fruit and chilies. It’s also fun to eat. The straw is dipped in Tajín candy, and you have to fish it out and chew the coating a bit before you start drinking, to make a hole for the slushie to pass through. The drink’s visual appeal, shared on TikTok and Instagram, has brought many customers into the café, Peru-born Dominic Vargas tells me. He opened Mango Twist in 2024 and now has four branches. The flavor combination of “tangy, spicy, sweet, salty,” he says, is “something you wouldn’t find in the UK that easily.”
Along with the Volcano, I try Mango Twist’s “Mangonero”—basically a fruit salad covered with chamoy and tamarind—and its newest product, the “Pine pop,” a large chunk of pineapple coated with homemade chamoy. All three fricy treats are generously sized and a bit intimidating to eat, given the amount of bright red sauce dripping off them and the fact that I’m wearing a white shirt. But the combination of tropical fruit and chili sauce works: the heat makes it more interesting and addictive than something purely sweet. It reminds me of other dishes I’ve had from cuisines where “friciness” isn’t new—like Vietnamese papaya and chili salads, which feel playful because they fill your mouth with cooling freshness and fiery heat at the same time.
Ethan Pack, head chef at Three Sheets in Soho, thinks the popularity of fricy flavors in the UK is part of a broader rise in South American cuisine. He’s noticed more pop-ups inspired by that part of the world and more chefs experimenting with its flavors. He enjoys adding fricy flavors to the dishes at his restaurant, which doesn’t focus on any specific cuisine (“it’s just tasty bar food”). I try Three Sheets’ two friciest offerings: tomato on toast, served with a spicy Peruvian aji verde sauce made from coriander, garlic, lime, and chili….and a raspberry and chili margarita. Both are amazing – they’re sweet without being cloying, and the fresh fruit helps balance out the heat from the chili.
Lucy drinks a Volcano slushie outside Mango Twist in north London. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian
“Chefs have been using fruit in savory dishes for a long time, especially in cuisines like Thai food, where fruit, chili, acidity, and salt are often combined,” says Luke Larsson, head chef at the northern Thai restaurant Khao Bird. “What’s changed is that diners are much more open to these combinations now and are actively seeking them out.”
His menu at Khao Bird currently includes a watermelon salad finished with phrik laab chili powder, which has become very popular as the weather has warmed up, he notes. He doesn’t think a catchy name for a flavor profile like “fricy” is really that important, but it “gives people an easy way to talk about them online.” If these blended words “encourage people to try something new, that’s no bad thing.”
Personally, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to say the word “fricy” in conversation without rolling my eyes, but if this trend means more fresh, spicy, and exciting flavor combinations on menus this summer, then I’m definitely all for it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the fricy flavor trend
Beginner Questions
1 What exactly is fricy
Its a portmanteau of fruity and spicy It describes the trend of combining sweet juicy fruit with heat from chili peppers Tajín or hot sauce
2 Why is spicy fruit so popular this summer
Its incredibly refreshing The sweetness of the fruit cools you down while the heat creates a tingling sensation that wakes up your taste buds Its also very photogenic and perfect for poolside snacks
3 What are the most common fruits used in fricy recipes
Mango watermelon pineapple and cucumber are the top choices Their high water content and natural sweetness balance the heat perfectly
4 Is fricy just for snacks or can I drink it
Both Youll see it in cocktails mocktails slushies and even in fruit salads
5 Do I need special ingredients to try it
Not really The easiest starter is a squeeze of lime juice a sprinkle of Tajín and a pinch of salt on fresh watermelon or mango
Intermediate Practical Questions
6 Whats the best chili to use for fricy without burning my mouth
Start with mild fruity chilies like Fresno or Habanero For a powder use Ancho chili powder or Tajín Avoid ghost pepper unless you want a challenge
7 How do I make a fricy drink without it becoming a watery mess
Make a simple syrup infused with chili and fruit Simmer equal parts sugar and water with sliced jalapeño and mango Strain it cool it then add to your drink This gives heat without diluting the flavor
8 Can I make fricy ahead of time for a party
Yes but with a catch Fruit salads will get watery For best results keep the fruit and the spicy seasoning separate until just before serving For cocktails premix the liquor and syrup but add
