Spicy foods are not actually hot, but they do fool your brain so it reacts the same way as it would to a hot liquid.  

If it’s not hot, why is it hot? 

That’s a good question. Peppers and other spicy foods contain a chemical compound called capsaicin, and it is that compound that causes the sensation of burning on your tongue, in your mouth, and other parts of your body. You might even recall having walked down the medicine aisle at a local drug store and seeing it mentioned on pain-reducing drugs.  

When the capsaicin comes in contact with the receptors on your tongue, it activates a pain center in your brain that says, “Hey, that’s hot! We need to do something about that.” Your body’s response can include sweating, increased mucus production, eyes tearing, and in some cases, vomiting. Basically, your body is trying to end this irritation. The more capsaicin contained in the food, the hotter it is perceived to be, and the more intense your body’s reaction will be. 

Should you call the fire department? Douse it with water? As counterintuitive as it sounds, water is maybe the worst option to reach for. There’s an axiom in homeopathic medicine that says, “like cures like.” In the instance of hot peppers, it’s better to reach for a glass of milk or some ice cream. The chemical makeup of capsaicin has a long hydrocarbon tail making it a nonpolar substance. Not to get too technical, but milk is also a nonpolar substance, so putting the two together negates the “hot” effects of the capsaicin. Milk and dairy products also contain a chemical compound called casein, which attracts capsaicin molecules and takes them away from your receptors to reduce the fire in your mouth.   

How Hot is Hot? 

Peppers and other spicy foods can be measured on a scale developed by an American pharmacist in 1912. Wilbur Scoville worked for the pharmaceutical company Parke-Davis when he developed his method of measuring the “heat” in peppers.  

Basically, he had a panel of professional taste testers who would taste a solution of a chili pepper in sugar water. That solution was then diluted until the tasters no longer felt the heat from the pepper. The number of dilutions corresponds with the number of Scoville Heat Units ascribed to the pepper.  

While there are more objective ways to measure the “heat” in a pepper today – like chromatography, where the concentration of capsaicinoids are separated and quantified – the Scoville Scale provides a subjective and easy-to-understand way to explain a pepper’s heat. 

The baseline of the Scoville Scale is the green pepper, which contains 0 SHU because it has no capsaicin in it. A Poblano pepper scores 1,250 SHU; a jalapeño has 5,000 SHU; a Habanero has 150,000 SHU; and the Carolina Reaper scores a whopping 1,500,000 SHU (and according to the Guiness Book of World Records, tastes like “eating lava”). 

We know you’re thinking... “Why would anyone want to ‘eat lava?’” As it turns out, there’s a theory for that: Benign Masochism, which describes people who are drawn to intense situations. For them, the experience of eating spicy foods goes from initial discomfort to the sensation of pleasure after being exposed to it for a certain amount of time. Actually, if you eat hot and spicy foods, your receptors will begin to “hide” from the heat messaging – they develop a certain tolerance for it. But, if you stop eating spicy foods for a period of time, your receptors will come out of hiding. 

Photo: College Yearbook - Henrietta Benedictis Health Sciences Library, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, as appears on Wikipedia

Put Some Spice in Your Life 

There are some pluses to having some spicy foods on the menu. Spicy foods, like peppers, cinnamon, even cilantro, can have positive impact on your health.  

While many of the studies done on spicy foods and how they impact health have been small, there is some good news for those who “like it hot.” 

Spicy foods can increase your body’s metabolism. When the switch is flipped to try to cool everything down, you’re burning more calories. And capsaicin has been shown to decrease appetite and/or increase the “full feeling.” But, on the downside, sometimes people crave more carbohydrate-heavy or sugary foods to decrease the “hot” sensation.  

Spicy foods may help your gut health by increasing the amount of good bacteria and decreasing the bad bacteria. Small amounts of capsaicin may also reduce excess acid in your stomach to help ulcers heal. Consuming peppers and other spicy foods may lower your blood pressure and reduce your cravings for salty foods, which will reduce the risk of heart disease.  

Chili peppers are also high in antioxidants and Vitamins A and C.  

Our Favorites for International Hot & Spicy Food Day 

Mast Store has a broad selection of “hot” items – from Spicy Beet Balls to Cinnamon Imperials – and they all have their advocates on the staff. 

Tim, our director of stores, is a big fan of Spicy Beet Balls. Here’s what he had to say:  “A few years ago, after reading about the health benefits of beets, I decided to try the pickled beets so commonly found on most salad bars. The best description I could provide upon tasting my first beets was that they tasted like pickled dirt. I stuck with my resolution and slowly came to appreciate their flavor. I shared my newfound appreciation for beets with a co-worker and they suggested that I try the Mast Store Provisioners Spicy Beet Balls. It was love at first bite! The familiar taste that I had grown to enjoy married to a spicy sweetness was incredible. I keep a jar in the refrigerator for a quick snack, a side to a home-cooked meal, or as an alternative to a piece of candy. YUM!!!” 

Justin, the in-store trainer for Winston-Salem, shared that he likes to combine Mast Store Provisioners Black Bean & Corn Salsa with a coupla dashes of Grilled Jalapeño Hot Sauce from Biscuit Head. “It’s not quite what I would call ‘hot’ but has such good flavor, that I may or may not have eaten the entire jar of salsa in one sitting. Any style of chips is great, but I prefer white corn chips with this combination.” 

Fox, the product photographer for Mast Store Online, said he loves the Hot Pickled Okra. “It’s really flavorful without being too hot. And after I finish the okra, I pick a handful of beans from the garden and put them in the vinegar. Leave ‘em about a month or so in the refrigerator, and it’s good eatin’ again.” 

Brittany, customer service lead for Mast Store Online, uses Cinnamon Imperials to make apple butter. “These red hots are already a sweet treat but using them to make apple butter is a different way to enjoy them,” said Brittany.  

Cinnamon Imperial Apple Butter 

Ingredients: 

2.5 gal of Transparent Apples (Other soft cooking apples will work well too). This will cook down to approximately 8 cups of applesauce. 
14-16 ounces Cinnamon Imperials candy 
2 cups brown sugar 
Water to thin Apple Butter if it gets too thick 
2 tablespoons Vanilla Extract 

Directions: 
Quarter or half apples and cook down in a pot with about a ½ cup water (just enough so they don't burn, but not adding too much liquid) until soft, but not mush. Run through food mill (either a Foley mill or a steel cone and pestle) to separate out the apple seeds, core and skin. If you don't have a food mill, you can replace steps 1 and 2 by increasing the number of apples, and peeling, coring, and quartering them. Add approximately 1 cup of water when adding to the slow cooker. Add apples along with Cinnamon Imperials, brown sugar, and any necessary water to the slow cooker. Cook on low uncovered or with lid slightly ajar for 24-36 hours, stirring every few hours. You can also cook on high when you can stir more frequently (every 15 to 30 minutes) to reduce cooking time. When apple butter has thickened quite a bit and has turned a rich, dark brown color, add vanilla. If necessary, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Cook another 1-2 hours on low. 

Store in the refrigerator or freezer. You'll have enough to share with friends and family or to freeze in small freezer-safe containers to serve year-round. 

Sheri, Mast Store’s storyteller, serves up two “hot” ideas. “I was today-years-old when I discovered that Mast Store Provisioners Screamin’ Hornets Hot Sauce is good on tater tots. I thought it might be a good substitute when I couldn’t find any ketchup at lunch, and my hunch was right. It’s not too hot, and the carbohydrates in the tots took a little of the edge off.”  

Her second hot recommendation is a dip made with Mast Store Provisioners Hot Habanero Berry Bacon Jam. “I use about 1/3 of the jar of jam with 1 8-ounce block of softened cream cheese. Mix the two together and serve with your choice of crackers. I take this to a statewide conference every year and get rave reviews.” 

Did you know? 

Some people believe you can tell how hot a pepper is by looking at its stem. Starting at the low end of the scale, a green pepper has a thick stem, about the size of a drinking straw. A pepperoncini (100-500 SHU) has a thinner stem, similar to the circumference of an Allen wrench. A habanero (100,000-350,000 SHU) pepper’s stem is like a refill for an ink pen, and a ghost pepper (800,000-1,041,427 SHU) is similar but just a little thinner like a medium thick wire. 

The “heat” from a pepper comes from the membrane that holds the seeds to the pepper. That’s why your jalapeño poppers will have “extra pop” if you don’t clear all the seeds and scrape the inside of the skin. 

Eating foods that are too hot/spicy can cause hiccups. It’s a part of your body’s process to cool things down. 

You will “feel” the effects of some hot and spicy foods in different places. According to an article on Curioustem, wasabi and mustard are made up of lighter molecules called isothiocyanates that end up in your sinuses causing a warming sensation in your nose. Chili peppers have heavier molecules called alkylamides that stay in your mouth, so that’s why you feel the heat there.  

We wish you a Hot, Happy, and Healthy International Hot & Spicy Food Day!