Have you ever wondered why some cultures have extremely spicy foods while others have foods deplete of spices all together? It is often postulated that our ancient ancestors from regions of the world with intense heat and humidity tended to have very spicy foods while those living in more temperate climates did not. Because of the ability of spices to retain foods’ freshness, it makes sense then that hotter regions produce spicier foods since heat is a major contributing factor to the premature rotting of food.

With my parents being from one such part of the world, Pakistan, I have grown to love these early food saviors and currently enjoy all of my culinary endeavors just a tad bit more when spice is involved. Chili peppers, a personal favorite and one of the most popular spices in the world today, are nothing more than vegetables born from our favorite form of life here at greenseedling, you guessed it: Plants! In this increasingly globalized world that we live in today, spices have become just as popular here in the West as they have been for thousands of years in their native Asia. Unfortunately, for me and the countless number of spice lovers all around the world, a recent study conducted at the University of California-Davis has found that chili’s actually reduce our ability to taste other flavors.

The research revolved around testing the effects of the “hot chemical” in Chilies know as Capsaicin, on our ability to sense the five flavors of salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and “umami” (a flavor linked to monosodium glutamate). Chris Simmons, one of the lead researchers on the team, said of the study, “Capsaicin always suppressed sweetness, bitterness, and umami. Saltiness and sourness weren’t affected at all”. Although this is definitely disappointing news for a spice lover like me, I’ll give up a little bit of sweet and bitter for a fix of spice any day.

Question: What role do you think pain sensitivity has to play on this reduction of the sense of taste caused by Capsaicin in Chili peppers?

Article Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020423080202.htm
Scientific Journal Link: http:/ /jn.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/84/4/1851