An autopsy of a Massachusetts teen who died after participating in a spicy tortilla chip challenge says his death was caused by eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract.
I don’t get why anyone likes eating super spicy foods. After a certain level of heat there is no more flavor, just spice, and it clearly can cause serious problems for your body. What is the draw?
Heat doesn’t alter flavor. Capsaicin itself is flavorless, so if you just take a food and add capsaicin extract, it’ll increase the heat without changing flavor.
However, IMO there’s no point in doing that unless you’re trying to win a challenge. Most of us get capsaicin from peppers, and each pepper has a unique flavor that can add a lot of nuance to a dish.
Plus, I enjoy the heat sensation and am highly tolerant, so I can eat high heat foods and enjoy them. I would not recommend a spice-naive person start out on super hots.
You build a tolerance to the heat as you eat more and more spicy food.
After a certain level of heat there is no more flavor, just spice…
Again, your tolerance is what dictates the accuracy of this statement. I think Paqui chips taste terrible, the spice level has nothing to do with it. But, as the other commenter mentioned, you pursue this level of heat because you enjoy the rush it gives you. If you can handle the spice of super hot foods, you either need a ton of peppers (which just makes your good taste like peppers), or you need something insanely hot to add, so you can maintain the food’s good flavor, while also having a satisfying level of heat.
I love spicy food, but as you said, only to a degree. The “spicy” part of the equation consists of both taste and the influence on your mouth’s temperature sensors. If the latter is hyperactive due to capsacain flavor goes out the window, at which point the food is no longer palatable to me.
Capsaicin isn’t a spice*. It’s not even a flavonoid. That is to say, it doesn’t trigger or act against the taste receptors in your tongue.
What the stuff does is trigger the heat receptors in your mouth (and skin and everywhere else you have heat receptors.) causing your body to feel like it’s burning.
“Spiciness” is what happens when your flavor receptors get overloaded. If you want to experience it, go get fresh garlic and chew a raw whole clove. (Do NOT swallow. And be prepared for massive indigestion. Raw garlic is not to be trifled with.) or maybe take the cinnamon challenge (spoonful, hold it in your mouth. Do not swallow,)
In any case capsaicin itself causes happy-hormones to be released, as a result of the sensation of being burned through. (The sensation also causes increased heart rate and that can get excessive, too.)(the people that like super-hot peppers are masochists.)
(*Spices are technically parts of plants used for flavor that generally aren’t the leaves. So the pepper itself can be a spice, don’t get me wrong. Most are quite fruity. The vast majority of people are not using hot peppers for that fruitiness, though.)
I mean, at the end if the day, any damage I do to myself is minor. Dont worry, I’ve had 30 years to fine tune my obsession with attention so that its not harmful to myself or others. Also, I live in a metropolis, I cant afford pet rent xD
I don’t get why anyone likes eating super spicy foods. After a certain level of heat there is no more flavor, just spice, and it clearly can cause serious problems for your body. What is the draw?
As someone who loves super spicy foods:
Heat doesn’t alter flavor. Capsaicin itself is flavorless, so if you just take a food and add capsaicin extract, it’ll increase the heat without changing flavor.
However, IMO there’s no point in doing that unless you’re trying to win a challenge. Most of us get capsaicin from peppers, and each pepper has a unique flavor that can add a lot of nuance to a dish.
Plus, I enjoy the heat sensation and am highly tolerant, so I can eat high heat foods and enjoy them. I would not recommend a spice-naive person start out on super hots.
You build a tolerance to the heat as you eat more and more spicy food.
Again, your tolerance is what dictates the accuracy of this statement. I think Paqui chips taste terrible, the spice level has nothing to do with it. But, as the other commenter mentioned, you pursue this level of heat because you enjoy the rush it gives you. If you can handle the spice of super hot foods, you either need a ton of peppers (which just makes your good taste like peppers), or you need something insanely hot to add, so you can maintain the food’s good flavor, while also having a satisfying level of heat.
The draw is the rush.
I love spicy food, but as you said, only to a degree. The “spicy” part of the equation consists of both taste and the influence on your mouth’s temperature sensors. If the latter is hyperactive due to capsacain flavor goes out the window, at which point the food is no longer palatable to me.
Because you get used to it and what was super hot a few months ago is just a little tingly today. So over time you eat hotter and hotter stuff.
(Gonna get downvoted here, but hear me out here,)
Capsaicin isn’t a spice*. It’s not even a flavonoid. That is to say, it doesn’t trigger or act against the taste receptors in your tongue.
What the stuff does is trigger the heat receptors in your mouth (and skin and everywhere else you have heat receptors.) causing your body to feel like it’s burning.
“Spiciness” is what happens when your flavor receptors get overloaded. If you want to experience it, go get fresh garlic and chew a raw whole clove. (Do NOT swallow. And be prepared for massive indigestion. Raw garlic is not to be trifled with.) or maybe take the cinnamon challenge (spoonful, hold it in your mouth. Do not swallow,)
In any case capsaicin itself causes happy-hormones to be released, as a result of the sensation of being burned through. (The sensation also causes increased heart rate and that can get excessive, too.)(the people that like super-hot peppers are masochists.)
(*Spices are technically parts of plants used for flavor that generally aren’t the leaves. So the pepper itself can be a spice, don’t get me wrong. Most are quite fruity. The vast majority of people are not using hot peppers for that fruitiness, though.)
Hey, dont leave out attention whores! Hurting yourself so your audience can laugh is ANOTHER reason some of us got into spicy food!
There’s better ways, man.
Might i suggest learning sleight of hand. Or getting a puppy/kitten/something else?
I mean, at the end if the day, any damage I do to myself is minor. Dont worry, I’ve had 30 years to fine tune my obsession with attention so that its not harmful to myself or others. Also, I live in a metropolis, I cant afford pet rent xD