SO WHY IS CHILLI HOT AND WHY DO WE LIKE SPICY FOOD SO MUCH ?

N-Vanilly-8-methyl-6-(E)-noneamide is the answer to that question . Physicists in the audience will immediately recognise the formula as Capsaicin (cap-say-sin) the little devil responsible for putting the fire into Chillis the world over .

But what exactly is Capsaicin ?
Capsaicin is a crystalline alkaloid and will be found in its most concentrated form in the placental ribs and seeds of the chilli pepper . The heat a chilli pepper produces is measued in Scoville Heat Units , named after the man who first quantified a chilli peppers bite , Dr Wilbur Scoville .
In his original testing, Dr. Scoville blended various pure ground chillies with a sugar-water solution. A panel of testers then sipped the concoctions in increasingly diluted concentration, until they reached the point at which the solutions no longer burned the mouth. A number was then assigned to each variety of chilli based on how much it needed to be diluted before heat was no longer tasted. This measurement of millions of drops of water-sugar solution is then translated into Scoville Heat Units (SHU) in multiples of 100.
That was in 1912. Today the most accurate method for measuring heat in chillies is a High performance liquid chromatography. In this procedure, chillie pods are dried, then ground. Next, the chemicals responsible for the pungency are extracted, and the extract is injected into the HPLC device for analysis. This method is more costly than the Scoville test but much more accurate. This method measures the total heat factor as well determining which individual capsaicinoids are present.

Pure capsaicin is so powerful that chemists who handle the crystalline powder must work in a filtered "tox room" in full body protection. The suit has a closed hood to prevent inhaling the powder. Said pharmaceutical chemist Lloyd Matheson of the University of Iowa, who once inhaled some capsaicin accidentally: "It’s not toxic, but you wish you were dead if you inhale it." "One milligram of pure capsaicin placed on your hand would feel like a red-hot poker and would surely blister the skin," said capsaicin expert Marlin Bensinger.

Such is the power of Capsaicin , pepper sprays are now generally used instead of tear gas by police forces and also the FBI.

So now we know what gives a chilli its bite . But why do we like blisteringly hot food so much ?
The nose runs , the eyes watery and bulging from their sockets . Breathing is laboured and short and the lips are quite numb . Isn't eating meant to be a pleasurable experience ? Of course and here is why we do it : when we eat super spicy food the primary reaction is of a burning sensation in the mouth . This triggers a reaction in the brain and endorphins are released into the system . Endorphins are the bodies natural pain killers and are not too far removed from opium derived pain killers . Thus , the hot chilli eater experiences a natural high . The more hot food consumed , the more endorphins are released . Therefore , eating very spicy food can be quite addictive !

SO EATING SUPER SPICY FOOD IS BAD FOR YOU ?

Au contraire ! Eating chillies is actually good for you . There are a lot health benefits for hot peppers, according to many sources. Therapeutic benefits claimed for spicy peppers include being a lung cleanser, an expectorant and relief for mild bronchitis . Chilli peppers are claimed to be helpful for emphysema, as a decongestant, for dissolving blood clots, and as general pain killers. Chillies are also used in numerous arthritis rubs.
As an aside , the liver quickly metabolizes capsaicin and is excreted in urine within a few hours .

All forms of peppers contain vitamin C . One average green pepper contains twice the vitamin C of an orange . A red pepper almost 3 times the amount .

THAT'S ALL VERY COMFORTING TO HEAR BUT MY MOUTHS ON FIRE !

Okay . Forget drinking water or beer . Capsaicin is not very soluble in water and will only spread the firey feeling around your mouth . Try a glass of cold milk or yoghurt . Bread and rice are also good at soaking up the oil . Many people recommend drinking tomato juice or eating a fresh lemon or lime, the theory being that the acid counteracts the alkalinity of the capsaicin.

CHILLI FACTS

There are over 200 different varieties of chilli peppers which vary in color, shape, size and degree of hotness. More than half are indigenous to Mexico. Today, India grows more peppers than any other single country in the world.

Inca Indians still tie a string of chillies behind their boats to repel sharks.

Formerly the hottest chilli known was the red savina habanero, which has a scoville rating of 200,000 to 300,000. Now , however according to experts at the Defence Research Laboratory in the army garrison town of Tezpur in the north-eastern state of Assam, is the local naga jolokia (capsicum frutescens) .It was nealy 50 per cent more pungent than the red savina habanero from Mexico."Laboratory tests have confirmed that naga jolokia, a specialty from the north-east, is now the world's hottest chilli," said the laboratory's deputy director S.C. Das .

This is surely weapons grade material .

Tabasco measures about 150,000 scoville units. There is even a chilli which rates zero scovilles, the bell pepper.

HOT STUFF !

Our American cousins are presently locked in battle in the race to produce the worlds hottest sauce . Some hot sauce manufacturers are now selling hot sauce products that score over 1 million Scoville Units , and if the heat of the sauce does not bring a tear to your eye , the names of the products alone surely will :
" Dead On Arrival Sure Death Cyanide Sauce "
" Ass In The Tub- Armageddon Hot Sauce "
" Rigor Mortis Hot Sauce "
" Mad Dog Inferno " and " Daves Insanity Sauce " to name a few . Get yours here :
HotHotHot.com and also here pyropepper.com
Oh . And have fun...