How hot is it? A guide to the spicy (and the mild) dishes at Ivano's, Dumfries

Many dishes at Ivano's Italiano, the Italian takeaway at 11 Whitesands in Dumfries, have some chilli in them, and a few have a lot. This guide sorts our menu from mild to hot, using the menu's own words for each dish, so you can find the hottest things we make or something gentle for a child. Heat is personal, so treat it as a guide, not a scale.

Arrabbiata, the sauce behind many of our dishes, means "angry" in Italian, and it gets the name from its chilli. There's no chilli rating on our menu yet, which is why this guide exists.

Where the heat comes from

• Arrabbiata sauce: tomato, garlic, chilli flakes and Italian herbs. It's the starting point for most of our tomato pasta dishes and several chicken dishes.
• Chilli flakes, in many sauces and on some pizzas.
• Jalapeños, on the Diavola dishes and the Bolognese Bomba.
• Pepperoni, which our menu describes as a spicy sausage.
• Spicy haggis, on the Haggis Pizza and from the fryer.
• Infused chilli oil, on the Vegan Piccante, or added as an extra.
• Our BBQ sauce, which is cooked in a pan with garlic, chilli and pomodoro before a smoky BBQ sauce goes in.
• Our chilli con carne: kidney beans, garlic, chilli and cumin, cooked in our pomodoro sauce.

A hint of chilli

Our menu uses the words "a hint of chilli", "a touch of chilli" or "a touch of spice" for these. Several are finished with cream, which softens the heat:

• Pasta: Imperiale, Pollo Imperiali, Imperiale Vegetariana, Imperiale Gamberetti (prawns), Affumicata, Pancetta, Al Ivanos, Vegetariana, Funghi Piccante, Pollo Arrabbiata, Marinara and Gamberetti Chilli.
• Chicken: Pollo Verdure.

Worth knowing: the Vegetariana pasta and the Pollo Verdure both have chilli, which surprises people who order them as the gentle option.

Spicy

• Arrabbiata itself, which our menu calls a "rich spicy Italian tomato sauce", along with the Amatriciana, Al Tonno and Speciale Al Pomodoro, all made with arrabbiata or chilli.
• Pollo Cacciatora, Pollo Salsa Rosa and Pollo Funghi Piccante, all cooked in our arrabbiata.
• Pizzas: Pepperoni, The Mighty Meat, Haggis Pizza (sliced spicy haggis), BBQ Chicken and Pollo Italiano (that BBQ sauce), Pizza Alla Chilli Con Carne, and the Pizza Al Scozzese, where pepperoni and haggis meet a drizzle of honey.
• Chilli Con Carne, served with boiled rice.

The hot ones

These are the dishes our menu builds around heat:

• Diavola pizza

  Pepperoni, red onion, chilli flakes and jalapeños. Diavola comes from the Italian for devil

• Diavola pasta

  Our "She Devil": in our menu's words, "a fiery hot tomato sauce" with pepperoni, chilli flakes and jalapeños

• Bolognese Bomba

  Our Bolognese with pepperoni and jalapeños, topped with cheddar

• Formaggio Diavola

  A creamy cheese sauce with pepperoni, jalapeños and a hint of chilli

• Pollo Diavola

  Chicken, pepperoni and jalapeños in a creamy formaggio (cheese) sauce

• Vegan Piccante

  Red onion, chilli flakes, black olives and infused chilli oil on vegan mozzarella

Turn it up

Want more? On our pizzas, pasta, chicken dishes and risottos, you can add chilli flakes, infused chilli oil, jalapeños or garlic when you order, or add haggis as a topping. Then dip your crusts in Dynamite, a fiery tomato and chilli dip, or the Arrabbiata dip. For something sweeter with a little warmth, there's Sweet Chilli and Garlic and BBQ Tomato Chilli, and the Spicy Marie Rose is a creamy option with some kick. Our guide to dips and sides has them all.

Keep it mild

If you'd rather have no heat at all, these have no chilli in their description:

• Pizzas: Margherita, Funghi & Prosciutto, Prosciutto, Miami (ham and pineapple), Al Funghi, Vegetariana, Pollo Pizza, Quattro Formaggi and Quattro Stagioni.
• Pasta: Bolognese, Cardinale, Carbonara, Boscaiola, Campagnola, Funghetto, Al Creama, Speciale, Quattro Formaggi, Pollo Formaggio, Macaroni Cheese and the classic Homemade Lasagne.
• Chicken: Pollo Funghetto, Pollo Al Creama and Pollo Parmigiano.
• Risotto: the creamy ones, such as the Funghi, Campagnola and Speciale Creama.

For the calzone's crust, a garlic mayonnaise dip is the gentle choice.

Ordering for children? Our guide to feeding a family or a crowd has more ideas for mild, familiar dishes. If a dish isn't listed here, ask us how hot it is before you order.

If any of the names above are new to you, our guide to the Italian words on our menu explains them. Once we reopen, Thursday to Sunday, 4pm to 10pm, order at ivanos.uk for delivery across Dumfries or collection from 11 Whitesands, DG1 2RR.

Have an allergy? Please read our allergen information and tell us before you order.

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