Why is chilli hot

Where the chilli hits you also varies. New Mexico chillies tend to be flat while Asian ones tend to be sharp. Confronted with such a tame burn, I have plenty of attention left to focus on its thick, crisp flesh and sweet, almost bell-peppery flavour.

Despite that, though, it almost immediately lets loose a blast of heat that explodes to fill my mouth from front to back, making me gasp for breath. But I could just be fooling myself.

I cut a tiny slice and start chewing. The first thing that strikes me is how different the flavour is. For about 15 or 20 seconds, anyway — and then, slowly but inexorably, the heat builds. And builds. A cold drink certainly helps, because the coolness calms the heat-sensing TRPV1 receptors that capsaicin excites.

Even the value of fats or oils — which sounds like they ought to help wash capsaicin, which is fat soluble, off the receptors — is in dispute. Millions of people actively seek out the pain of hot chillies as a form of pleasure. So why do we happily, even eagerly, inflict pain by chillies? Whatever the secret is, it seems to be unique to humans. No other mammal on the planet has a similar taste for chillies. Birds eat them enthusiastically, but only because they lack receptors that respond to capsaicin.

To a parakeet, the hottest habanero is as bland as a bell pepper. Genetics may play some part, too. Just ask one. That paradox has drawn the attention of psychologists for several decades now. After all, most forms of pain are warnings of imminent harm. That baked potato still steaming from the oven is hot enough to kill the cells lining your mouth, potentially causing permanent damage. This includes swelling, nausea, vomiting, eye pain, diarrhoea, abdominal pain , heartburn from acid reflux, and headaches.

As such, many of the side effects we notice when eating hot chilli, such as sweating and pain, are a result of the body considering the stimulus to be a real burn. Our body senses capsaicin, the major active compound in chillies, and immediately responds to it. But what could be an advantage of this? Well, this burning sensation is felt by mammals, but not birds. Therefore, a common theory is the capsaicin response was developed by plants to deter mammals from feeding, while still encouraging birds to eat the fruit and carry the seeds far and wide.

However, although a real burn is not taking place, individual cells in the mouth and digestive system might respond to the stimulus by releasing chemicals which induce a small amount of additional irritation. The response is usually relatively short-lived, and tends to subside once the burning sensation quiets down.

A weak correlation does exist for a high intake of chillies being somehow associated with cognitive decline. According to this Wonder: "When you eat a pepper, capsaicin comes in contact with pain receptors in your mouth. Salwa May 2, May 6, Dec 18, Hi, nehchal!! What is your favorite spicy food?

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I do not know why it was not hot. Wonderopolis Apr 29, Dan Nov 15, One time when I put my thumb in a pepper an hour later my thumb hert so badly and my whole arm went numb it hurt so badly.

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