by Danilynn Caballero
Spicy food is enjoyed by many people. However, some people don't understand or enjoy spicy foods. This article is for those who want to know more about spicy foods or about how to enjoy them.
Here are the steps
1 Understand what spiciness is and is not. To truly appreciate spiciness, you should know what goes on. A common misconception is that spiciness is actual heat. It is not. Rather, it is an irritation. What causes spiciness? A chemical known as capsaicin. This capsaicin causes a burning irritation. The level of capsaicin in a pepper or sauce is measured in a unit called a Scoville. Pure, undiluted capsaicin is 16,000,000 Scovilles, the spiciest anything can be. Other than that, all capsaicin is diluted by something else, be it water, oil, or whatever. This spiciness is perceived by the body as pain. Capsaicin in peppers is mainly for defense from mammals. Only mammals feel this heat, however, as they are the only animals that can detect capsaicin. Birds spread spicy pepper seeds, since they don't feel the heat, capsaicin passes harmlessly through them.
2 Determine how much heat you can handle. Try a mild sauce or pepper, and work your way up. A good thing to start with is a poblano pepper, with a very mild Scoville rating of 500. Some stores have a brief "spicy meter" posted near their peppers. Read one of those, look at the brief scale in this article, find one on the Internet, or look at the scale provided in the Sources & Citations section.
3 Add spicy foods to your daily meal plans. If you eat spicy foods only once a week, you may be missing out. Splash some hot sauce on everything you can think of. Keep chopped or whole peppers lying around the house somewhere, or better yet, grow them yourself. By incorporating spiciness into your regular diet, you get used to it, and that helps you to eat even spicier foods.
4 Push your limits
Part of the fun and lasting appeal is when you continually try spicier things. Keep track of its Scoville rating to track your progress. However, hurting yourself isn't recommended.
Part of the fun and lasting appeal is when you continually try spicier things. Keep track of its Scoville rating to track your progress. However, hurting yourself isn't recommended.
5 Ease your pain. Once you've had enough, help yourself! Contrary to popular belief, water doesn't do well in easing pain. Instead, reach for the milk. A chemical in milk, casein, disengages the capsaicin from your mouth to help it ge t washed away.
6 Expand your horizons. Try different things, like a new sauce, or a spicy dish you've never tried. Spicy food is a great way to expand your knowledge of different cultures. Find a dish that is spicy, but also fits your taste, such as a spicy vegetable dishor a meat oriented dish
7 If peppers, sauce, or spicy meals are just too spicy, or you just plain dislike the taste, see if you can buy spicy chips at a nearby grocery store or deli. Very spicy, but good tasting chips include Flaming Hot Cheetos, First, Second, or Third Degree Burn Doritos, Red Hot Herrs, etc... The list is endless!
There you go! By just simply following the quick steps in handling spicy food, there's no way you can't enjoy it! Let us all be hot and spicy!
- Danilynn Caballero ©wikiHow