Why Do Peppers Taste Hot?

Gourmandize

It's no mystery that a spicy pepper is going to make you sweat. But why?

It turns out that pepper flesh is filled with a chemical compounds called capsaicin, along with a number of related compounds called capsaicinoids. These chemicals cling onto your sensory receptors and produce the illusion of burning.

This burning sensation tricks your brain into thinking that there's something dangerously hot – as in, temperature hot – in your mouth. Thus...you start sweating!

If your face flushes, this is because warm blood vessels are dilating beneath your skin in an attempt to expel more heat. The burning illusion also causes a sudden release of endorphins, the body's way of subduing pain and trying to make you feel good despite the heat.

Got a runny nose and watery eyes? That's because capsaicin is an irritant. Your body is trying to expel it!

Spicy food seems a lot less glamourous after all that, doesn't it?

But let's face it...that's not going to stop us from eating it and loving every bite!

Love spicy foods? Here are 25 you have to try before you die.

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