Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What Makes Us Love the Pain of Hot Peppers?
WSJ ^ | 28 Aug 2021 | Matt Siegel

Posted on 08/29/2021 8:55:48 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT

One theory says the sensation distracts from other pains; another says we’re just showing off.

Humans like to eat a lot of strange things—decomposed shark, Namibian warthog rectum, British food—yet among the strangest is our taste for chili peppers: a fruit that, ecologically speaking, specifically evolved to repel us.

But whereas other berries have thorns to protect against seed-destroying predators, chilies have a defense mechanism in the form of the chemical compound capsaicin, the principal function of which is to cause pain for predators. The scientific term for this is “directed deterrence.”

a habanero pepper or order your food “Thai hot,” and your body essentially thinks it’s being attacked by a chemical weapon.

Some farmers in Africa, to keep elephants away from their crops, plant chilies along the borders of their fields, or mix chili powder with motor oil and smear it on fences, or burn bricks of chilies and dried elephant dung.

...Chili-flavored birdseed is also a thing, used to prevent squirrels from pilfering bird food

. Indeed, research shows a correlation, particularly among teenage males, between a preference for spicy foods and testosterone levels, as well as personality traits associated with the pursuit of money, sex and social status.

Such hypermasculine display and self-inflicted harm are hallmarks of adolescent coming-of-age rituals going way back. In Aztec times, young men were held over fires to mark their transition from youth to adulthood, symbolizing their transformation from “raw” youth to “cooked” adulthood.

But for the military too, spicy foods have become a staple of combat rations, especially for long deployments. Beginning in Iraq in 1990, the U.S. military started issuing miniature glass bottles of Tabasco sauce with meals

Then again, maybe the explanation is simpler. Perhaps we just can’t resist the temptation of forbidden fruit—or, in this case, forbidden berries.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Food; Gardening; Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: hot
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-125 next last
To: snoringbear
Last week, I scored on 4 pounds of serranos and Hungarian hot wax peppers that they were throwing away at the local produce stand [wrinkled a little bit - people won't buy them].

Into the pickling jars they went...

21 posted on 08/29/2021 9:10:50 AM PDT by kiryandil (China Joe and Paycheck Hunter - the Chink in America's defenses)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: frank ballenger

I’ve never had hot Jewish food can you enlighten ?

I’m thinking Sammy Roumanian .....

Or Israeli food which is pretty much Arab food


22 posted on 08/29/2021 9:13:18 AM PDT by wardaddy (Fear Republic land of grumps)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

23 posted on 08/29/2021 9:13:36 AM PDT by RomanSoldier19 (Game over, man! Game over! ; : rem ad triarios redisse is)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

Habanero is as hot as care to go. But since I lost my s3nse of smell, I’m missing out on the full spectrum of flavor.


24 posted on 08/29/2021 9:15:08 AM PDT by Noumenon (The Second Amendment exists primarily to deal with those who just won't take no for an answer. KTF)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

—”sauce made with horseradish”

A brother-in-law grew horseradish and wore a GASMASK and rubber gloves. when grinding and working with it.

At a sushi place, I warned him about the NUCLEAR GRADE glow in the dark horseradish... He cut it back to a small glob... turned red, drank all the water on the table, and was suspiciously quiet the rest of the night.


25 posted on 08/29/2021 9:16:38 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (("The enemy has overrun us. We are blowing up everything. Vive la France!"Dien Bien Phu last message)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT
I experience an endorphins rush from eating the crazy hot ones (whole).

I agree, most of the crazy hot chilis kill the flavor of food.

Although I have good success with habanero (not crazy hot but extremely hot), in some recipes.

26 posted on 08/29/2021 9:18:27 AM PDT by Tommy Revolts
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

I can answer by saying, “NOT ME!”

I can only go as far as a little bit hotter than green, Orange, or red or yellow peppers.


27 posted on 08/29/2021 9:18:47 AM PDT by Jonty30 (My superpower is setting people up for failure, without meaning to. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sheana

Agree. I get in the mood for hot and will eat hot. But not something that is so hot it ruins the meal. And eventually it comes back out. Lol.


28 posted on 08/29/2021 9:21:20 AM PDT by glimmerman70
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

Yep. Had a patch of horseradish on the family place. Decided to grind some fresh and put it in a high speed blender. Had to evacuate the kitchen and took a half hour to recover.

Subsequently ground it outdoors very slowly and made sure I was upwind.


29 posted on 08/29/2021 9:21:31 AM PDT by jjotto (Blessed are You LORD, who crushes enemies and subdues the wicked.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

It adds to the flavor of other things, similar to sauerkraut or red wine. Also, I like the flavor of red peppers and Jalapenos with the hot, but not without. It doesn’t make sense but there it is.


30 posted on 08/29/2021 9:21:41 AM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

Bland boring food was the biggest drive behind ancient global exploration. Royal appetite for new flavors was very influential.


31 posted on 08/29/2021 9:22:00 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

Masochism.


32 posted on 08/29/2021 9:23:09 AM PDT by x
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT; Oshkalaboomboom

Let’s Ask The Expert! :)


33 posted on 08/29/2021 9:23:26 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT

Think of what ground black peppercorns, on every table and in nearly every meal, do for your food - they wake up your tastebuds. It’s hard to imagine something bland like macaroni & cheese without a ton of black pepper in it. Or soup - you don’t put a lot of pepper in canned soup to make it taste better?

So the same goes for hot chili peppers. Even the crazy hot ones have a taste - it’s like a lot of foods, you get used to the hot over time.

And like a lot of foods that are on the “why do people eat that?” list, chili peppers are very good for you as long as you don’t overdo it. Cayenne, which as most of us know is muy caliente, is given in capsule form for some types of gastric complaints. I worked for a GI doctor who did recommend it to some patients. (I think it’s recommended for some lung ailments as well, but I’m too lazy to look it up right now.)

So it’s not as much of a mystery as, say, why people eat whole pickled ducklings or whatever. Yeah, there is a macho component to saying you like stuff that’s so hot it burns a hole in the roof of your mouth. Be patient. Guys like that always get their comeuppance.


34 posted on 08/29/2021 9:23:52 AM PDT by Scarlett156
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dblshot

—”Reading all these posts about Afghanistan,”

I have to say that I posted this as a mechanism to avoid what is happening in the world around me.

Like an ostrich, it works until the world finds me.


35 posted on 08/29/2021 9:23:52 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (("The enemy has overrun us. We are blowing up everything. Vive la France!"Dien Bien Phu last message)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: sheana
But there is a point where hot is not spicy and tasty anymore.....just hot. I don’t like that.

I agree. I have occasionally purchased souses that were just heat, no real flavor. I don't mind hot but it has to have some interesting flavor too.

36 posted on 08/29/2021 9:27:08 AM PDT by super7man (Madam Defarge, knitting, knitting, always knitting.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: All

I am not saying it’s macho, but people that can’t tolerate spicy food are wusses. ;-)


37 posted on 08/29/2021 9:27:12 AM PDT by Smogger
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DUMBGRUNT
What Makes Us Love the Pain of Hot Peppers?

That is quite presumptive of the wall street urinal.   I would just as soon give myself a root canal.

38 posted on 08/29/2021 9:27:52 AM PDT by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

“There’s a steakhouse in Indiana called St. Elmos that has a famous shrimp cocktail sauce made with horseradish. “

Horseradish is standard in shrimp cocktail sauce.


39 posted on 08/29/2021 9:28:37 AM PDT by TexasGator (UF)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

—”Flea, of course!”

I’m not at all familiar with that type of pepper.

Nothing in my garden or any seed catalog looks like that one?

But I have grown some multi-color peppers.


40 posted on 08/29/2021 9:29:14 AM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (("The enemy has overrun us. We are blowing up everything. Vive la France!"Dien Bien Phu last message)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 121-125 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson