The answer is Capsaicin
– the compound that puts the ‘heat’ into chillies. Reports have shown that
despite it’s immediate effect on the human body (burning sensations, sweating,
a quickened pulse, and even tears), Capsaicin surprisingly causes no long term
problems. In fact, it’s being used as pain relief, filling our veins with
endorphins, and masking any pain, like a natural morphine high.
Could this be the reason that more and more of the western world are
falling in love with ‘spicy foods’ and our regular diet is heating up? Hot chillies
used to be regarded as exotic, and only found in Indian, Thai or Mexican
cuisine, but they’re now a staple ingredient in almost everything from supermarket
ready meals to cocktails in a club.
It seems that the globalisation of chillies has helped the western
world grow a tolerance to Capsaicin, and we’re craving more. 50 years ago our
parents and grandparents would have claimed that a Chicken Tikka Masala was
unbearably hot. These days the much hotter Jalfrezi is the most ordered dish in
the UK.
Recipes used to warn against using more than a pinch of cayenne pepper
or chilli powder. And yet for some curry-lovers, even standard-strength Tabasco
sauce, the world's best-selling chilli-based condiment, may be too mild! The
Louisiana-based company now produces an extra-hot version, made with habanero
peppers, the fieriest of the most popular chillies.
For the true “heat geeks”, however, even the habenero is considered
tame. The hottest known chilli pepper at present is the Trinidad Scorpion
Moruga Blend, which currently holds the Scoville Heat Units world record with a
rating of 2 million – hotter than ‘pepper spray’. Pure Capsaicin scores 16
million on the Scoville scale.
As well as being an effective pain-killer, there are lots of health
benefits for using chillies in your diet, and it seems that this craving for
heat will have good effects in the long run. But will this create more demand
for even hotter chillies we wonder? What do you think?
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