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Topic Last Updated on 08-07-2024
Some Use Spices
Some plants, such as pepper, garlic, and mustard, evolved to produce particular substances to protect themselves from bacteria and fungi. However, they were not the only ones suffering from the negative impact of these microorganisms. Our food also fell prey to them. Later, people noticed that if those special herbs were added to food, it stayed fresh for a longer time. That’s how the first preservatives appeared — people began using what we now call spices. Though, it took time to get used to these natural preservatives: some didn’t like the taste of pepper, and some got indigestion from mustard seeds. However, residents of hot regions eventually realized that the temporary discomfort from spicy food was a better prospect than death from a gastrointestinal infection.
Gradually, people adapted to the plants’ “chemical weapons,” and spicy dishes began to take root in the cuisines of the tropical and subtropical regions. However, for the inhabitants of the temperate climate zones, where, due to the moderate temperatures, food did not go bad for a while, spicy food often seems inedible. Northern people began to use spices relatively recently, with the establishment of trade routes between Europe and Southeast Asia. Prior to this, they preserved food by either salting or freezing it.
Travel guides to South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia often recommend eating spicy food. Countries with hot climates often experience problems with sanitation and clean drinking water, and spicy food may reduce the risk of getting an infection.
Savory, Spicy, Scorching
The red chili pepper and other chilies and fruits of the Capsicum shrub family allow a person to experience the most pungent spiciness possible. Capsaicinoids, a group of alkaloids of plant origin, are to blame.
Even in the hottest pepper, the content level of capsaicin is safe, but the substance itself is a very strong irritant. Those who work with pure capsaicin or capsaicinoids are required to wear gloves, goggles, respiratory protection, and even a full-body protective suit.
Most of the capsaicin is found in the white flesh of the peppers and their seeds, so the burning sensation is especially overwhelming when we chew the peppers’ seeds. In the oral cavity, capsaicin binds to TRPV1 receptors. These receptors then transmit a signal to our brain, indicating an increase in the mouth’s temperature.
The TRPV1 receptors are not meant to recognize capsaicin. They get activated once the temperature rises above 109.4 °F, and then they immediately send a signal to the central nervous system reporting the body is overheated. This way, they warn, for example, about the dangerously hot food or embers. Nonetheless, these natural sensors can identify some substances contained in the “hot” food. Capsaicin and its derivatives protect peppers not from microorganisms but from mammals.
Spicy Food | Why We Perceive Spice
Capsaicin acts on our “pain” neurons, the membranes of which contain TRPV1 receptors. In turn, this receptor reacts to both chemical and physical stimuli, such as acidification of the medium and an increase in temperature above 109.4 °F.
TRPV1 is part of the TRP family of thermoreceptors responsible for thermoregulation in warm-blooded animals. Therefore, the activation of this receptor is expressed as either a burning sensation or stinging pain.
There are heat receptors in the oral cavity of humans and other mammals, but not in the mouths of birds. And peppers apply this fact to their advantage: they use birds as a means of transportation! Inside the digestive system of birds, seeds can travel safely over long distances and conquer new territories. The Aztecs also exploited birds’ lack of heat receptors. The diaries of conquistadors suggest that the Aztecs intentionally fed chilli peppers to canaries to give their plumage a red color.
Spicy Food | Mind Games
So, TRPV1 receptors’ multitasking causes our nervous system to confuse a chemical signal with a thermal signal. That is why we eat something extremely spicy, the brain thinks we made a mistake of swallowing something hot. To relieve this
feeling, the central nervous system takes measures to cool the body. It speeds up the metabolism, accelerates blood circulation, and you begin to sweat profusely. In the blood, the concentration of natural painkillers — endorphins — increases. The nasal mucosa becomes inflamed, tears start to flow, and your eyes close: the brain sends a signal to the eyelids to protect the organs of sight from the non-existent high temperatures.
Sure enough, sensations after consuming an unexpectedly hot dish will not be pleasant. However, the amount of capsaicin and capsaicinoids contained in pepper or sauce do not cause physical damage to tissues and organs.
However, this does not mean that spicy food is completely safe. It still can cause indigestion, nausea, and vomiting. The brain receives a pain signal and decides to remove the culprit out of the body as quickly as possible, which triggers vomiting. This can be dangerous, though: during vomiting, acidic gastric juice gets into the esophagus, causing damage and inflammation to its lining. The degree of damage depends on the extent of irritation of TRPV1 receptors and the brain’s assessment of the “threat.”
The Scoville Heat Scale
Oddly enough, the chili pepper is not at all related to the country of Chile, whose name comes from the Quechua language, and instead originates from the Nahuatl word “chīlli,” meaning “hot pepper.”
Spicy Food | Pepper Pungency
There are several scales of measuring the “hotness” of food products. Scientists, cooks, and food technologists usually use the Scoville scale, which was introduced more than a century ago. In 1912, the American chemist Wilbur Scoville first proposed to use a quantitative scale based on taste sensations to assess the pungency of pepper. It was constructed as follows: extracts from different peppers were dissolved in alcohol, and then a drop of this solution was combined with sweetened water.
Five professional tasters sampled the mixture, diluting it until the burning sensation disappeared. The Scoville scale measures the volume of water needed to dilute the extract to a non-irritating level. Bell peppers score zero, Tabasco sauce 2,500 units, and jalapeños 3,500-10,000 units. Dave’s Gourmet Insanity Sauce, offered in some US restaurants but banned in most states, totals 180,000 units.
The world’s spiciest dish is a curry called “The Widower.” It was prepared in 2013 and courageously eaten by the British doctor Ian Rothwell. The spiciness of this dish measures at 6,000,000 units on the Scoville scale. The chef prepared the sauce while wearing a mask, goggles, and gloves. Having finished one portion in two sittings (after eating part of the dish, Rothwell left the restaurant, took a 40-minute walk, and then returned and finished the meal), the British thrill-seeker said that the ascent to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, which he had completed a year earlier, had been easier.
Extinguish the Fire…With Milk?
We often try to pacify the raging inferno in our mouths with water. This is useless! Capsaicin is a fat-soluble substance, so it’s impossible to soothe the receptors with water.
But your everyday glass of milk (not skim milk, though!) will do the trick to neutralize the action of capsaicin. Casein proteins and fats in milk attach to capsaicinoids and strip the molecules away from their receptor binding sites. This way, capsaicin loses its effectiveness, and the fire in your mouth fades out. So if you are not sure you like spicy food, have a glass of milk ready before tasting something fiery.
