I recently watched an episode of the latest season of Sex Education on Netflix where one of the characters accidentally uses chili crisp oil as a lubricant. Funny as it was, I nearly passed out just imagining it. As someone who grew up in India, a common myth that follows me around is that I love eating spicy food—this couldn’t be further from the truth. When I visit my family, I always remind my aunts to go easy on the chiles because I’d like to live. It’s not that I don’t use chiles in my cooking; I do, but I’m more of a moderate user. I like just enough to feel some heat, but not so much that my ears start ringing and my eyes and nose mimic a broken faucet.
Chiles aren’t one-dimensional either; there are wide, spectacular chile varieties that come in shades of green, red, yellow, and orange, with various aromas and degrees of heat. Despite treading carefully around the spice, I remain a devoted fan of these spicy berries (yes, botanically, they’re classified as fruits) because they do so much.
Why chiles are hot
Chiles may be synonymous with Indian and other South Asian cuisines, but they originated in Mesoamerica and were introduced to the East by European colonizers. They quickly became a part of these cultures and an essential ingredient in many local cuisines. In Mexican cooking chiles are an integral part of the diet. The word “chili” (often spelled as “chile” in North America) is derived from the American Nahuatl word “chilli.”
While black peppercorns get their heat from a chemical called piperine, chiles owe their heat to a chemical called capsaicin that, according to scientist Josh Tewksbury, evolved as an evolutionary advantage to the plant. Capsaicin or 8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide is a fat-soluble pungent substance, and in mammals, it acts as a chemical irritant and neurotoxin by creating a burning sensation—we’ll get to how it works in a little bit.
Chile plants started to synthesize capsaicin as a way to protect themselves from rodents. One more reason: it also protects the plant from damage in locations where the soil is wet and rich with fungal and insect pathogens. Dr. Tewksbury found that in countries like Bolivia, chile plants that grow in wet climates are hotter. In general, hotter plants showed less damage than less spicy ones, and the number of insect bites on the chile fruit directly correlated with the plants’ heat intensity.
Capsaicin, a spicy player
The highest concentration of capsaicin is located in the placenta of the chile fruit—the soft and fleshy pale area close to the stem and in the seeds. In mammals, including humans, the capsaicin molecule binds a receptor called TRPV1, or transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 ion channel. This binding sends an electrochemical signal that irritates the nerves, which the brain interprets as heat and pain.
The response from the nerve receptors confuses the brain; there’s no actual rise in body temperature, yet your mouth may feel like it’s on fire. You’ll likely start sweating, too; that’s the body’s way of trying to cool you down. Your instinct may be to reach for a glass of ice-cold water to get rid of this chemical irritant. But if you’ve watched any episode of Hot Ones, you’ll know that chugging water is usually an effort that goes in vain, if not adding more fuel to the fire.
