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Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

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Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#31

Post by M_Grey »

ThomPete wrote: post #29
ythl wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because for us mortals, the flavor is completely overpowered by the capsaicin in most cases. I have relatively low capsaicin tolerance, and so I can't tell the difference between flavors of two different but equally spicy peppers because my brain is too occupied with the burn. It's hard not to focus on it.

You tolerance will increase the more you eat.

I would just add, that tolerance is worth developing. You get a new world of flavors open to you, but also you get this wonderfully stimulating sensation which can help you feel good, but isn't necessarily fatty or sugary.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#33

Post by jordigh »

huherto wrote: post #11

Mexican here. I find it amusing that people focus on how spicy their peppers are. They are missing the point. There are many pepper varieties and each has a different flavor. That is the interesting part and how it mixes with different foods in a variety of recipes. Focus on the flavor, not the burn.

Mexican here too. I do like the burn, which is a separate sensation from the flavour. The burn is a pleasant, controlled pain. It also makes the flavours more intense.

I regularly consume habaneros, and I've recently tried ghost peppers in the form of hot chicken wings. I didn't know hot sauce could make my whole hand burn, but it did, for an entire day. I can see why people put on gloves to handle ghost peppers. I want to try them again, but my wife doesn't think I should.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#34

Post by Noseshine »

Raphmedia wrote: post #27
Noseshine wrote: post #17

Anecdote allowed? This reminds me of the Habanero Burger at "The Swinging Door" pub (I'm not sure it had the same name when I went there occasionally over 10 years ago, the first time actually almost 20 years ago in 1997) in San Mateo, CA [0]. (EDIT: It was the Prince of Wales pub previously! Lots of Habanero Burger stories: [1]) They had a "Wall of Flame" with stickers from all people who "survived" eating one. You…

> my tongue hung out under flowing water from the faucet in the bathroom. Oh god. Capsaicin is not water soluble. You just removed everything from your tongue BUT the capsaicin.

I know (and knew). It was pain control, not capsaicin control. Fortunately they had some disgusting Oreo-cookie like ice cream sandwich that I got in the end.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#35

Post by elboru »

teaearlgraycold wrote: post #15
huherto wrote: post #11

Mexican here. I find it amusing that people focus on how spicy their peppers are. They are missing the point. There are many pepper varieties and each has a different flavor. That is the interesting part and how it mixes with different foods in a variety of recipes. Focus on the flavor, not the burn.

The burn is an important part of the pepper experience. For some, building a tolerance to capsaicin is a hobby. They're not missing the point, they're just eating them for a different reason. And what's nice about building up an extreme tolerance to capsaicin is that afterwards you are able to better experience the flavor of peppers, without focusing entirely on the heat.

Exactly that's why it's common in Mexican recipes to leave seeds, it's a totally different experience to eat Guacamole with and without pepper seeds.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#36

Post by klipt »

M_Grey wrote: post #25
huherto wrote: post #11

Mexican here. I find it amusing that people focus on how spicy their peppers are. They are missing the point. There are many pepper varieties and each has a different flavor. That is the interesting part and how it mixes with different foods in a variety of recipes. Focus on the flavor, not the burn.

I used to think that whole idea was crap, until I started seriously eating spicy foods. Now I really love the different flavors, not just heat, you get from peppers. Habanero are almost fruity, Jalapeno more like an amped up bell pepper, and so on. Then you have the differences in quality of burn; is it a numbing burn like szechuan pepper? A "back of the throat, choke you" burn like a Thai chili? It's a whole new wor…

Just FYI, Sichuan pepper is a great spice, but isn't related to the chili family (habanero, jalapeno, thai, etc) at all.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#37

Post by Raphmedia »

Noseshine wrote: post #34
Raphmedia wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> my tongue hung out under flowing water from the faucet in the bathroom. Oh god. Capsaicin is not water soluble. You just removed everything from your tongue BUT the capsaicin.

I know (and knew). It was pain control, not capsaicin control. Fortunately they had some disgusting Oreo-cookie like ice cream sandwich that I got in the end.

Alcohol works too! ;D

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#38

Post by M_Grey »

klipt wrote: post #36
M_Grey wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to think that whole idea was crap, until I started seriously eating spicy foods. Now I really love the different flavors, not just heat, you get from peppers. Habanero are almost fruity, Jalapeno more like an amped up bell pepper, and so on. Then you have the differences in quality of burn; is it a numbing burn like szechuan pepper? A "back of the throat, choke you" burn like a Thai chili? It's a whole new wor…

Just FYI, Sichuan pepper is a great spice, but isn't related to the chili family (habanero, jalapeno, thai, etc) at all.

What is it exactly? It looks a bit like a spiny berry to my untrained eye.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#39

Post by xeromal »

M_Grey wrote: post #31
ThomPete wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You tolerance will increase the more you eat.

I would just add, that tolerance is worth developing. You get a new world of flavors open to you, but also you get this wonderfully stimulating sensation which can help you feel good, but isn't necessarily fatty or sugary.

It also has the added bonus of stimulating your intestines. Good for when you are feeling unhealthy.

Re: Can you hurt yourself eating chilli peppers?

#40

Post by khedoros1 »

huherto wrote: post #18
ythl wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because for us mortals, the flavor is completely overpowered by the capsaicin in most cases. I have relatively low capsaicin tolerance, and so I can't tell the difference between flavors of two different but equally spicy peppers because my brain is too occupied with the burn. It's hard not to focus on it.

:) You will notice that Mexican food is frequently accompanied by a variety of sauces and/or peppers. So you can try them and make the decision on which you want and how much you want and maximize the enjoyment. It is gotta be hot but not too much that you stop enjoying the food. That is how children learn.

Mexican food is usually designed to be complemented by different peppers, but a lot of American foods are modified from European traditions, where spicy peppers are rarer. So, spiciness itself is a more unusual taste in our food.

I think that the American culture (especially thinking about the Midwest) has the idea of "spicy vs not spicy", but not the idea of which flavor of pepper goes well with which kind of food. A lot of restaurants here will have black pepper and Tabasco sauce, but not much else, despite the fact that the vinegar in Tabasco will destroy the flavor of a lot of foods.

There's a culture of "spicy and mild", but not a culture of "spicy, but subtly flavored". Of course, I can always go to a Mexican restaurant and find a salsa that matches my food well. But even there, there are usually "mild", "medium", and "hot" labels on almost everything, rather than telling you what kind of peppers were used in preparing the sauce.

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