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  • Why does your mouth feel like it's on fire when you eat a spicy pepper?

  • And how do you soothe the burn?

  • Why does wasabi make your eyes water?

  • And how spicy is the spiciest spice?

  • Let's back up a bit.

  • First, what is spiciness?

  • Even though we often say that something tastes spicy, it's not actually a taste like sweet or salty or sour.

  • Instead, what's really happening is that certain compounds in spicy foods activate the type of sensory neurons called polymodal nociceptors.

  • You have these all over your body including your mouth and nose and they're the same receptors that are activated by extreme heat.

  • So, when you eat a chili pepper, your mouth feels like it's burning.

  • Because your brain actually thinks it's burning.

  • The opposite happens when you eat something with menthol in it.

  • The cool, minty compound is activating your cold receptors.

  • When these heat-sensitive receptors are activated, your body thinks it's in contact with a dangerous heat source and reacts accordingly.

  • This is why you start to sweat, and your heart starts beating faster.

  • The peppers have elicited the same fight-or-flight response with which your body reacts to most threats.

  • But you may have noticed that not all spicy foods are spicy in the same way.

  • And the difference lies in the types of compounds involved.

  • The capsaicin and piperine, found in black pepper and chili peppers, are made up of larger, heavier molecules called alkylamides.

  • And those mostly stay in your mouth.

  • Mustard, horseradish, and wasabi are made up of smaller molecules called isothiocyanates, that easily float up into your sinuses.

  • This is why chili peppers burn your mouth,and wasabi burns your nose.

  • The standard measure of a food's spiciness is its rating on the Scoville scale which measures how much its capsaicin content can be diluted before the heat is no longer detectable to humans.

  • A sweet bell pepper gets 0 Scoville heat units, while Tabasco sauce clocks in between 1,200-2,400 units.

  • The race to create the hottest pepper is a constant battle.

  • But two peppers generally come out on top : The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and the Carolina Reaper.

  • These peppers measure between 1.5 and 2 million Scoville heat units, which is about half the units found in pepper spray.

  • So, why would anyone want to eat something that causes such high levels of pain?

  • Nobody really knows when or why humans started eating hot peppers.

  • Archaeologists have found spices like mustard along with human artifacts dating as far back as 23,000 years ago.

  • But they don't know whether the spices were used for food or medication or just decoration.

  • More recently, a 6,000 year old crockpot, lined with charred fish and meat, also contained mustard.

  • One theory says that humans starting adding spices to food to kill off bacteria.

  • And some studies show that spice developed mostly in warmer climates where microbes also happen to be more prevalent.

  • But why we continue to subject ourselves to spicy food today is still a bit of a mystery.

  • For some people, eating spicy food is like riding roller-coasters; they enjoy the ensuing thrill, even if the immediate sensation is unpleasant.

  • Some studies have even shown that those who like to eat hot stuff are more likely to enjoy other adrenaline-rich activities, like gambling.

  • The taste for spicy food may even be genetic.

  • And if you're thinking about training a bit, to up your tolerance for spice, know this

  • According to some studies, the pain doesn't get any better.

  • You just get tougher.

  • In fact, researchers have found that people who like to eat spicy foods don't rate the burn any less painful than those who don't.

  • They just seem to like the pain more.

  • So, torment your heat receptors all you want.

  • But remember, when it comes to spicy food,you're going to get burned.

Why does your mouth feel like it's on fire when you eat a spicy pepper?

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B2 TED-Ed spicy pepper spicy food heat wasabi

【TED-Ed】The science of spiciness - Rose Eveleth

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    Sofi posted on 2014/03/18
Video vocabulary

Keywords

bit

US /bɪt/

UK /bɪt/

  • noun
  • A former coin worth 12.5 cents.
  • The basic unit of information in computing.
  • The basic unit of information in computing, representing a binary digit (0 or 1).
  • A mouthful of food.
  • Device put in a horse's mouth to control it
  • A particular thing or experience.
  • A person's contribution to an effort.
  • Small piece of something
  • A short period of time.
  • A very small amount of money.
  • A small piece or amount of something.
  • A small acting role or part in a performance.
  • The part of a tool that cuts or bores.
  • other
  • To do one's part.
  • Not at all.
  • verb
  • Past tense of 'bite'.
  • (E.g. of fish) to take bait and be caught
  • adverb
  • Slightly; somewhat.
measure

US /ˈmɛʒɚ/

UK /ˈmeʒə(r)/

  • noun
  • Plan to achieve a desired result
  • A plan or course of action taken to achieve a particular purpose.
  • A certain amount or degree of something.
  • A division of time in music, usually consisting of a fixed number of beats.
  • Tool used to calculate the size of something
  • A standard unit or system used for measuring.
  • other
  • To assess or estimate the extent, quantity, or effect of something.
  • To determine the size, amount, or degree of an object or substance by comparison with a standard unit.
  • verb
  • To determine the value or importance of something
  • To calculate size, weight or temperature of
  • other
  • To take actions to achieve a particular purpose.
taste

US /test/

UK /teɪst/

  • noun
  • (Good) sense of style in clothes, art, or manners
  • Flavor in your mouth from food or drink
  • A liking for something; preference
  • Brief experience of something
  • verb
  • To experience something
  • To experience the flavor of food, drink
  • To briefly experience to see if you like something
pain

US /pen/

UK /peɪn/

  • noun
  • Strong feeling of hurt or discomfort
  • An annoying or troublesome person or thing.
  • verb
  • To cause someone to feel upset or worry
  • other
  • To cause mental or emotional suffering to.
  • other
  • Mental or emotional suffering or distress.
  • An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.
react

US /riˈækt/

UK /rɪ'ækt/

  • verb
  • To change when mixing with other chemicals
  • To behave or make a change in a particular way
burn

US /bɚn/

UK /bɜ:n/

  • noun
  • Damage from fire or heat
  • verb
  • To destroy with fire
  • To feel pain and heat
  • To use as fuel for a fire to make light or heat
  • To overcook food with too much heat it goes black
body

US /ˈbɑdi/

UK /ˈbɒd.i/

  • noun
  • An object distinct from other objects
  • A group of people involved in an activity together
  • Main part of something
  • A person's physical self
food

US /fud/

UK /fu:d/

  • noun
  • What people and animals eat to live
  • Things taken in by plants to maintain life
  • A particular style or type of cooking, e.g. Asian
heat

US /hit/

UK /hi:t/

  • noun
  • High temperature
  • State of anger, excitement, or arguing
  • Intensity or stress, especially in a competition or conflict.
  • A form of energy arising from the movement of atoms or molecules.
  • A sensation of warmth or high temperature.
  • Particular temperature at which to cook something
  • One of series of races to find the finalists
  • A preliminary race or contest in which the winner or winners qualify for a further stage.
  • The quality of being hot; high temperature.
  • Hot temperature, conditions, or weather
  • verb
  • To make hot or hotter
  • To make or become warm or hot.
mustard

US /ˈmʌstərd/

UK /ˈmʌstəd/

  • noun
  • Spicy yellow or brown condiment used to add flavor