Water, Water!!! Something is Spicy

Hi folks, it’s Rick again, back with a very interesting topic. Some of you might be thinking this topic is about water pollution or global warming(old text book stuffs!!). But it’s not, this is a topic about everyday pleasure that people get by pain(Wait!! Jeez!! Don’t think so dirty, it’s not BDSM).

Jokes apart, have you ever wondered why people loves spicy foods even though it causes a temporary pain or better, a sensation of heat on the tongue? Well, scientifically speaking, in every spicy food there is chemical component called ‘Capsaicin’ which triggers the particular taste-buds which are directly linked to our receptors of heat. For this, we have a sensation of burn in our mouth. Still it is unknown to many scientists that why do we still love spicy foods in our daily meal.

Many scientists think that the beneficial effects of spices such as, lowering of blood pressure, potentially knocking out other bodily pains and fighting microbes et cetera could be the reason why we have the need to take spice in our system. There are even signs of hot pepper cultivation way long before technology came( approx 4000 b.c). Well, there can be many theories depending upon this subject but I have some theories of my own which I will share with you.

Imaginary Heat-storm: Wait!! Did you just think that I am gonna tell you some boring weather forecast? Well, you can say it as a forecast for the brain and as a matter of fact I think that it is deceiving. In my perception, I see the feeling of spice is just a illusion of brain. According to human instinct, we love to overcome pain. This can be the reason why our mind creates a false burning touch in our tongue so that, we consume spice more often( This is our brain ladies and gentlemen, the most complex thing in our galaxy).

Gene Theory: Relax!! It is not going to be as boring as your biology class in school(believe me, I’ve been there). There are certain dissimilarity of liking spices among people. My friend Ray don’t like spices in his food, he hates everything of the chili family but in the other hand, I like spicy foods. This can be justified to a certain level by the gene theory. Spicy food lovers aren’t born with an affinity for hot sauce. Rather, it’s acquired over time, as capsaicin and other spicy food molecules deplete a neurotransmitter called substance P, which is responsible for sending pain signals to the brain. This could explain why people from some countries, such as India or Mexico, seem to have a naturally higher tolerance for hot foods(Now, I have a little doubt in Ray’s origin, is he really a Indian?).

Trivia: Different peoples have different just like different chilies have different spice level. The standard unit for measuring pungency is Scoville Heat Unit(SHU), a function of capsaicin concentration(This can be a question in your inter-school quiz, so try to remember it).

Feel free to comment on your thoughts about this crazy topic. Also if you have any cool theory about it, please let me know.