Spicy and spicy food is enjoyed all over the world. In some countries, such as Indonesia, people start as babies and eat nothing but spicy food until the day they die. Learning to appreciate this type of cuisine opens the doors to another culinary world full of delicacies.
To begin your journey into the world of spicy foods, follow these instructions.
Steps
Step 1. Start with dishes that are only slightly spicier than you are used to
When you eat them, try to figure out which spices you like and which you don't, as well as note any side effects.
Step 2. Once you are comfortable with a level of "spice" try to increase its strength or quantity
As you try stronger foods, choose only the flavors you like best, whether spicy or not.
Step 3. Keep increasing the amount of spice you add to your dishes as you adjust to each level
However, take the time to get used to both the "spiciness" and the aroma. When you are able to taste and appreciate these foods, many gastronomic opportunities will open up that you have never considered before.
Advice
- If you eat something extremely spicy, have a glass of milk available. This drink is much more effective in relieving the tongue than water. The burning sensation you experience is due to capsaicin, the active ingredient in chillies and spices. The casein, contained in milk, is able to inhibit capsaicin and therefore to "wash it away" from the tongue. The water does not contain casein, so it is not able to do this, and it will spread the oils that contain capsaicin throughout the mouth.
- Remember that the hottest part of chillies is the juice and the central veins, the pulp itself is not very strong.
- Yogurt can also be a useful product to limit the burning sensation in the stomach after eating very spicy. It lowers the body temperature and makes it easier for the body to manage food, with little consequence the next morning. Natural yogurt is definitely the best, but vanilla yogurt is fine too.
- Eat slowly, the more capsaicin you ingest, the stronger your body's reaction will be. If you eat calmly you will always introduce the same amount but in a more constant and tolerable way.
- It may help to incorporate new spices into foods that tend to hide or dilute the flavor, such as sandwiches and soups.
- Sugar also neutralizes the spiciness, even if it is not easy to consume it in large quantities as it is for honey.
- Eat foods that absorb capsaicin such as bread or rice.
- Do some research on the different spices and their beneficial and harmful properties. For example, cayenne pepper (which is very spicy in high doses) has been shown to be beneficial for heart health.
- If you feel like a food is really very spicy, take a deep breath and try not to think about it.
Warnings
- Do not let the spice juices come into contact with the lips, eyes or other sensitive parts of the body, otherwise they will burn for at least 15 minutes.
- If you have to open or slice large quantities of chili peppers, such as jalapeños, wear latex gloves. The active ingredient of these fruits can also be absorbed by the skin and leave an intense burning sensation even for days!
- When you need to go to the bathroom, make sure you've washed your hands thoroughly first if you've handled chillies.
- Eating too spicy foods can reduce the ability to taste for some time, inhibiting the taste buds.
- Gastric ulcers are not aggravated by the consumption of hot peppers, on the contrary in some cases it reduces them. However, if you have any health problems, consult with your healthcare provider before eating these types of dishes.
- Always wash your hands after handling spicy foods directly. This is especially true after cutting raw chillies.
