So I know you all have a lot of burning questions about peppers, and here's the real deal. There are several red hot tips to help you with everything from health benefits to cooling down your tongue after eating something hot. Check it out and comment and tell me what you think!
What makes peppers hot?
Most species of Capsicum contain capsaicin (methyl vanillyl nonenamide), a chemical that produces a strong burning sensation in the mouth. Capsaicin is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white "ribs" that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh. The amount of capsaicin in peppers is highly variable and is dependent on genetics.
Sometimes, both sweet and hot cultivars can be found within a type, and even in the one cultivar cool weather, excess water and nitrogen will increase sweetness, while stress adds pungency. The only pepper without capsaicin is the bell pepper.
In hot peppers you can see the capsaicin in the form of a shiny yellow substance on the placenta. A hot pepper can be made considerably less hot by removing the placenta.
How can I cool the heat from peppers in my mouth?
The least effective way to relieve the burning sensation in the mouth produced by peppers is to drink water. Capsaicin, the pungent substance in peppers, is poorly soluble in water, but more soluble in fat, oils, and pure alcohol. Therefore, some more effective solutions may be to cool down the mouth and throat with rice, cheese, buttered bread, yoghurt, ice cream or milk. The good news is that if nothing works, you can be sure that the burning sensation will gradually fade away by itself
What's the hottest pepper in the world?
The hotness of a chilli pepper is usually measured using the Scoville scale. The scale uses Scoville Heat Units (SHU) to indicate the amount of capsaicin present, this being the chemical that makes peppers hot.
Pure capsaicin measures 15,000,000-16,000,000 SHU, while a bell pepper measures 0 SHU. As of April 2006, the hottest pepper in the world is the Dorset Naga. It measures 876,000-970,000 SHU, some way ahead of the Red Savina Habanero Chilli, which returns a figure of 350,000-580,000 SHU. The Dorset Naga is too hot to be consumed directly, so it is used in contact with other food
Can peppers prevent Cancer? What's the benefits?
Several studies at different universities have found that capsaicin, the substance that makes peppers hot, can inhibit prostate cancer. According to the American Association for Cancer Research (www.aacr.org), researchers in the USA fed capsaicin to mice, and this caused the cancerous cells to die off. However, researchers advise that many compounds that show beneficial results in mice may not be as effective in human cancer patients. The evidence is not conclusive, and increasing your weekly intake of the hottest known chillies is not recommended
Capsicum species are an excellent source of vitamin C, and have been used extensively as a medicinal plant in different parts of the world. Some of the health benefits traditionally linked with peppers are their healing effect on respiratory problems, their ability to control and often cure sinus and nasal passage problems, and their power to reduce headaches. The pepper has been used as a digestive irritant, a stomachic stimulant, and a tonic. The plants have also been used as folk remedies for dropsy, colic, diarrhoea, asthma, arthritis, muscle cramps, and toothache. Modern Western medicine uses capsaicin, the pungent chemical present in peppers, as a circulatory stimulant and pain reliever.
How should I handle a hot peeper to avoid the burn?
You should be really careful when handling hot peppers, because they can not only burn your mouth, but your skin as well. The substance that makes peppers hot, capsaicin, is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white “ribs” that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh. Therefore, you should wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers, especially when removing the seeds and the ribs. Always wash both the gloves and your hands very thoroughly with soap and warm water, and never, never touch your eyes, nose or mouth until you have washed your hands and gloves. Dried chillies are less hazardous to handle, but you should be careful all the same.
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