Spicy foods are a staple of cooking in many parts of the world, so you may feel left out if your taste buds are accustomed to milder flavors or feel like you're on fire if you've taken a bite of a chili being unaware of the risk you were about to take. If you want to eat and enjoy spicy foods, it is best to know how to handle, prepare and serve them, but also how to ease the burning immediately afterwards. In this article, the term "hot" refers primarily to dishes that contain chili.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare Spicy Foods
Step 1. Learn about capsaicin
It is always better to know who your opponent is before facing him in battle isn't it? Our mouth perceives peppers as hot because they contain a chemical compound called capsaicin (also called capsicin or capseicin), which enters the bloodstream and essentially convinces the body that its temperature is rising.
- This helps explain why we sweat, turn red and occasionally feel dizzy when we eat something spicy.
- Contained in the oils found inside chillies, capsaicin can also irritate the skin and mucous membranes.
- Capsaicin is a natural defense mechanism developed by certain plants to avoid being eaten by mammals. Most animals get the message and go for food elsewhere, but not humans.
Step 2. Think about why people suffer from the sting of spicy foods
Could it be that humans are less intelligent than mice, pigs and other mammals? Probably the reason has more to do with the structure of our brains.
The brain neurons responsible for the sensations of pleasure and pain are adjacent and possibly interconnected. This helps explain why many people experience an adrenaline rush when engaging in dangerous behaviors, especially if they can experience excitement or pain without too much risk, such as eating spicy foods
Step 3. Understand what the health impacts are
Many people assume that eating spicy foods can cause ailments such as ulcers, stomach acid and other gastrointestinal problems, but there is no scientific evidence to prove this. If these are the results that spicy foods cause on your body, then it is probably your particular sensitivity, comparable to intolerance to dairy products.
On the contrary, scientific studies seem to confirm that spicy foods can be good for health. For example, they can reduce the craving to eat sweet, fatty or salty foods, thus helping you to take in fewer calories, but also increase the number of those you burn thanks to the fact that the body senses an increase in temperature in the abdominal area. In addition, spicy foods can have a positive impact on the health of the cardiovascular system, regulate cholesterol levels and, quite surprisingly, reduce the production of gastric juices
Step 4. Learn to handle chillies with caution
Irritant sprays contain capsaicin, the same substance found in chillies that you want to add to your dishes. Don't treat them lightly, unless you want to experience what it's like to be sprayed with one of these self-defense tools.
- Wear gloves when preparing chillies. Or at least wash your hands very thoroughly right after you're done.
- Protect your eyes and other sensitive parts of the body. Consider wearing glasses while cutting chillies. Don't rub your nose, eyes, or mouth before you've washed your hands thoroughly.
- For the same reason, if you need to use the bathroom or feel the need to scratch a sensitive part of your body, it is very important to wash your hands thoroughly first.
- The hottest parts of chilli are the seeds and the inner membranes (usually white in color) to which they are attached. Capsaicin is mainly concentrated in these areas. Remove both when making chillies if you want to tone down the spiciness of the recipe.
Part 2 of 3: Becoming a Spicy Food Eater
Step 1. Proceed in small steps
If the typical cuisine of your area does not include spicy dishes and therefore you do not have much experience with chillies, give your body time to gradually get used to their spiciness.
- Start by adding some spiciness to common recipes. You can use chili flakes to flavor a soup or mix in a few drops of hot ketchup sauce.
- When you want to use chopped chillies or a hot sauce, serve them separately so you can add the desired amount as you eat. This way you will have maximum control over the degree of spiciness.
Step 2. Refer to the spiciness measurement scale
If your friend eats the Bhut Jolokia pepper variety (aka "snake", "king cobra" or "poisonous" pepper) with relish and without batting an eye while you gasp just by smelling the least spicy ones in the world, chances are he has developed a tolerance to capsaicin over time. Walk the scale that measures the spiciness of peppers slowly but steadily, starting with the most delicate ones. You can train your body to adapt to hot climates and you can do the same with spicy foods.
The Scoville scale is the standard reference for measuring the spiciness of peppers. The number of units increases proportionally to the capsaicin content. Use this scale as a guide when deciding which chili variety to try next time
Step 3. Eat slowly and savor the spicy taste of food
Instead of assuming that you can contain the sting by eating whole chillies in one bite, enjoy them in small bites, especially when you begin to develop greater tolerance. It is best to take capsaicin in small doses so that the body can absorb it more effectively.
By avoiding to subject your taste buds to excessive burning, you will also be able to better appreciate the other flavors that characterize the dish
Step 4. Don't force the process
Each body is different. Just as there are people who seem to be able to drink immeasurable amounts of alcohol without losing lucidity or eating whatever they want without gaining a single gram, there are others who simply tolerate spicy foods better. The idea that "there is no progress without pain" may lead you to overdo it, but try to use common sense to understand when your body has reached its maximum tolerance level.
If you feel like you can't get past a certain level on the Scoville scale, you may just have to accept that that's your upper limit. Think of all the spicy foods you've already added to your repertoire
Part 3 of 3: Mitigating the Effects of Spicy Foods
Step 1. Is there any milk in your refrigerator?
If not, it may be best to purchase it before ordering Thai takeaway. Good old milk, better if whole, is one of the most effective remedies to relieve the burning caused by capsaicin.
- Milk contains a protein called casein, which is able to "wash away" the capsaicin molecules present on the nerve sensory receptors in the mouth.
- When drunk cold it also provides a cooling effect which further reduces the burning sensation.
- The fats contained in milk coat your tongue and the rest of your mouth, giving you even more relief, and also allow casein to clean nerve receptors even more effectively.
- Milk-based foods can also help relieve burning. For this reason, tradition has it that the famous spicy buffalo chicken wings are served with ranch sauce. Often Mexican dishes are accompanied by sour cream, while Indian curries are accompanied by yoghurt sauce.
Step 2. Try other drinks
Milk is the best solution, but sometimes it is not the best solution. If you are lactose intolerant or if you are in a pub where ordering a glass of milk would not suit the atmosphere of the place, there are alternatives.
- Capsaicin is soluble in alcohol, which means that drinking an alcoholic drink allows you to eliminate part of it (and with it also a portion of the burning). This is an excellent excuse to order a beer along with the spicy chicken wings.
- Capsaicin is also soluble in oil, so you can try swirling some olive oil in your mouth and then spit it out (this is more suitable if you are in your home). Foods high in fat, such as dark chocolate, can also give you some relief.
- Drinking sugar water is another good idea, especially if you are at home. Sweet flavors (but also salty ones) can partially cover the spicy ones, so drinking some sugar water can give you some relief. Dissolve a spoonful of sugar in a glass of water. As previously suggested for the oil, the ideal is to swirl the solution in your mouth for a few moments and finally spit it out.
- Do not drink the plain water otherwise, despite the temporary cooling effect, the capsaicin will be further spread inside the mouth and throat.
Step 3. Cool the boils
The cold relieves the burn, both that caused by fire and that caused by capsaicin. You can eat something cold before putting a spicy food in your mouth to numb the nerve receptors or immediately afterwards to ease the burning.
- Try eating cold fruit (which contains sugar) or ice cream (which contains both sugar and casein) in combination with spicy food. A milkshake can be an excellent solution as it is cold, contains sugar, milk, fat and tastes great.
- You can also try sucking on an ice cube to cool your mouth, but remember that melting will have the same effect as water by expanding the area irritated by capsaicin.
Step 4. Absorb the spiciness
Spicy dishes are served with rice all over the world. Part of the appeal is that starchy foods, such as rice and bread, can absorb capsaicin before it exerts its irritating power.
Foods with a soft, spongy and light texture are able to absorb capsaicin better. Switch between bites of starchy and spicy foods. Some people say they can get a lot of benefit from eating marshmallows
Step 5. Calmly wait for the burning to pass and treat any other symptoms
It may seem to you that the irritation never goes away, but the truth is that the effects of capsaicin on the body only last fifteen minutes after you stop eating the spicy food.
- If you develop other gastrointestinal disorders, such as gastric reflux, stomach acid, etc., treat them as you normally would. As specified above, chillies do not cause particular effects on the digestive system that require specific care.
- Try taking an antacid (liquid or chewable) or another medication that usually relieves you. If you frequently suffer from stomach acid, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice on which products are most effective for you. Some medications need to be taken daily before symptoms develop.
- You can also take common sense countermeasures, such as limiting the consumption of foods that irritate your stomach, not eating spicy foods at dinner as the symptoms of GERD tend to worsen overnight and let gravity facilitate digestion. standing or, better yet, going for a walk.
