Why Are Certain Foods Spicy?

I love spicy foods even when they scorch my tongue, numb my mouth and make my eyes water.

In most spicy foods, there is an abundance of the chemical capsaicin. This chemical binds to a special receptor on our tongue known as the VR1 (vanilloid receptor 1). This receptor is responsible for the detection of heat and can also be found on our skin. The capsaicin tricks the receptors, activating them, and producing a “hot” sensation. This false heat is what we associate as spiciness.

Fun Fact: The spiciest pepper in the world is the HP22B pepper, aka “The Carolina Reaper.” On the Scoville scale (the scale of spiciness), this pepper comes in at 1.57 million SHU or Scoville Heat Units. To put this in perspective, a chipotle (smoked) jalapeno is about 8,000 SHU. In other words, the Carolina Reaper is about two hundred times spicier than a jalapeno!