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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'd be interested to see how someone would fare by chewing on some synsepalum dulcificum aka miracle fruit [1] followed by a Ghost pepper. In theory, it should be able to block out most of the TRPV1 heat receptors as well. If only I did my thesis on this. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
I'd be interested to see how someone would fare by chewing on some synsepalum dulcificum aka miracle fruit [1] followed by a Ghost pepper. In theory, it should be able to block out most of the TRPV1 heat receptors as well. If only I did my thesis on this. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum
Well, I have some old miracle fruit tablets and various spicy sauces I can try if you want... Probably not Ghost pepper, though.
I'd be interested to see how someone would fare by chewing on some synsepalum dulcificum aka miracle fruit [1] followed by a Ghost pepper. In theory, it should be able to block out most of the TRPV1 heat receptors as well. If only I did my thesis on this. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum
Well, I have some old miracle fruit tablets and various spicy sauces I can try if you want... Probably not Ghost pepper, though.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
To my understanding, capsaicin is in the flesh around the seeds, but the seeds themselves are not spicy and tend to add sweetness. Is that correct?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
yes, yes. The burn is important. I was just trying to stress the importance of flavor. The best is when it is so hot but so good and the only thing you can do is keep eating. You know that it is really going to hurt when you stop.
I don't eat habaneros or ghost peppers for the flavour. I eat them for the burn. I guess the flavour is ok, but it's not the main attraction. Just like people don't really consume beer for the flavour, or non-alcoholic beer would be a lot more popular than it is, since it just tastes like beer without the bitterness of alcohol. https://xkcd.com/1534/
Ghost peppers are the hottest peppers I've ever dared to eat directly. They are so far beyond hot that I don't even feel a burning sensation - more like pure, unadulterated pain like you'd expect from having a nail driven through your tongue. I really don't like the flavor of them either so there isn't really much motivation for me to ever eat one again. They are really great in small quantities for spicing up dishes…
http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/content/files/Suave.pdf
However, I have only seen them sold as seeds, and I prefer normal habaneros so I've never tried growing them.
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.
New Mexican - agree. You can dial the heat to whatever you want, but I'm there for the flavor.
IANANM, but my college roommate was. We roasted+peeled pounds of red & green chiles when his mom sent the fresh crop. Tasty times.
I'm from India and there are many hot/spicy options available. But most chili peppers are used for their flavor or color (e.g. Kashmiri Red Chilli powder is very red, less spicy) and varying the levels of heat/spiciness by adding more of less of it, instead of using the spiciest variety (like the ghost peppers that have caught the fancy of the west).
I wish the flavor component had some kind of a quantifiable unit instead of the scoville units that has fueled this craze of feeling the burn.
Don't fall for this tongue numbing "hottest wings/sauce in the world". Enjoy the flavor :)