(Maraca music)
The Carolina Reaper is more than 400 times spicier
than a jalapeno pepper and it's so hot
it can cause
a medical issue that can lead to hospitalization.
But why and how are people even able to eat this?
We're talking to a hot chili specialist
to learn more about spicy food
and to understand how some people can handle the heat
(synth noises)
- [Bill] Chili peppers have different flavors
depending on what family they're in.
Some have sort of a
like a cayenne would be a good example
that everybody's familiar with.
Other chilis like Habaneros or Scotch bonnets
are in a family that's very tropical fruit-flavored.
They tend to be a little bit hotter
so they can add a lot of flavor.
They also have a stimulating effect on certain receptors
in your tongue, actually you have them all over your body.
That's why your fingers might burn
or if you rub your face your face might burn.
(slow tempo music)
- [Andrew] Originating in South America,
chili peppers have been grown to flavor food,
fumigate homes and treat illnesses for 6000 years.
There are 25 known wild species and over 50,000 variants
with each pepper giving off a different
set of flavors and levels of heat.
Before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492,
peppers were pretty much unknown to the rest of the world.
Today they're eaten worldwide and are a dominant ingredient
in lots of cuisines.
- The difference between a chili pepper that's very, very
hot and one that isn't is the
and that is concentrated
in the ribs of the chili.
and the seeds are attached
to the ribs so they pick the heat up just by contact.
(whistling music)
The more capsaicin you have, the hotter the chili will be.
- When capsaicin enters your mouth
which are linked
to the sensation of temperature.
So that coughing, burning mouth, runny nose feeling
that you get when eat something that's too hot
that's your body's natural reaction to thinking
The more peppers you eat,
the more heat you will be able to tolerate over time.
When eaten regularly capsaicin depletes
a neurotransmitter responsible for
sending pain signals to the brain.
- And you know there's this thing,
"Oh I can eat the hottest pepper,
I'm so macho".
But you've probably been eating them for a long time so
In Mexico they actually give children lollipops and candy
that have chili peppers in them to sensitize them
or I should say desensitize them to the capsaicin
in the chili pepper and you work your way up.
And the interesting thing is that if you stop eating them,
and this has happened to me where I might not eat any
for a while for whatever reason,
I pretty much have to start over.
A chili that really wouldn't have bothered me any more
or in the past now is
(projector turning on)
- Ready for your fun fact?
When you eat hot peppers capsaicin
causes the brain to release
This could also lead pepper lovers to crave the taste more
and even be disappointed when their meal is not spicy.
(woosh noise)
The spiciness of peppers is governed
by what is called
The scale was created by pharmacist Wilbur Scolville
and its
of each pepper.
The chart ranges from zero to over 16 million
with peppers stopping at three million.
Bell peppers at the bottom;
chipotle, jalapeno and tabasco are in the middle
and towards the top we have ghost pepper
and the Carolina Reaper.
(wooshing noises)
Capsaicin can even be used in surgery to numb pain.
When place on wounds capsaicin destroys neurotransmitters
that send messages of pain to the brain.
Doctors are even trying to develop epidurals
that use capsaicin so women won't have
to be confined to the bed during childbirth.
Needless to say with all these benefits,
eating hot peppers can still temporarily harm you.
Especially if you're not accustomed to the heat.
They can cause
and those thunderclap headaches I mentioned earlier.
If you're trying to get into spicy
food approach with caution.
Luckily our friend Bill, has some tips.
(music winding down)
- They're hotter at the stem end because you have
the membrane is much thicker at the
stem end than down at the bottom.
So maybe a good way to start eating is
to go down and start at the bottom, or cut the outside
of the chili, you'll get more flavor,
I would just start low on that one to ten scale.
I would not start at the very top because
A you could hurt yourself.
(laughs)
B you might never want to eat a chili pepper ever again.
I mean there are chili peppers now that are
used for medicine.
(string instruments playing)
- If you eat something too hot don't worry.
(flames burning)
As water based liquids will only spread the oily capsaicin
to areas of your mouth that it didn't reach yet.
Milk contains a protein named casein that attracts
capsaicin molecules, wraps around them
and then washes them away.
But that's only milk that comes from mammals,
so if you're into plant-based stuff like
soy, coconut, or almond, chances are
they won't do much for you.
(piano music)
- It's interesting that you find typical
Mexican cuisine is typically served with crema,
which is creme fraiche,
kind of their version of our sour cream
and there's a lot of cheese on things also.
So yes the Spanish brought the cheese to Mexico
and anybody would embrace cheese who
could get their hands on cheese.
But I don't think it's coincidence that we have
crema served on many things and we have
cheese served on many things.
So it is a fact, scientifically.
(wooshing sounds)
- Well I got my milk, and my Carolina Reaper.
Let's eat.