Have you heard the one about…
The Hottest Facts Around
Tip The Scales
As with almost anything humans measure things for various reasons. Usually just one big.. pepper measuring contest. With hot peppers we get the Scoville scale. Essentially how much water does it take to dilute the heat of a given pepper until it’s gone.
No, You Won’t Get An Ulcer
If you eat hot peppers like we do you’re likely to hear all sorts of “facts”. One of them is that hot peppers will cause ulcers or something similar. To the contrary, hot peppers have actually been used as a medicine combating ulcer development.
Hot Peppers Are Just Hot, Right?
Ever wondered why hot peppers are, well, hot? Capsaicin is the active compound in peppers that makes them hot. There’s more technical terms that we could use here but let’s just say that this fancy word is what lights your mouth (and other things) on fire.
Reap The Heat
That old Scoville thing we were talking about has quite the range on it. Jalapeno peppers come in around the 5,000SHU (Scoville Heat Unit) mark. Currently at the top of the pepper leaderboard is the Carolina Reaper. Coming in at a whopping 2,200,000SHU. Ouch.
You Call That Hot?
Oddly enough not all animals experience heat. It’s thought that the heat from peppers is a natural deterrent of the plants so they don’t get eaten. However, birds for example, don’t experience this sensation and are one of the most common ways the seeds are spread.
Plant The Seed
You’ve probably been told forever and a day that if you remove the seeds from a pepper (for cooking let’s say) then it will be less spicy. This isn’t true though, it’s actually the flesh/membrane that holds the most capsaicin. Removing the seeds can lead to a better consistency for dishes though.
Not A One Trick Pony
Aside from the old ulcer benefits there’s actually a number of other reasons hot peppers are good for you. From being packed with vitamins A,B, C, E, and antioxidants to speeding up your metabolism and improving cardiovascular flow. Benefits > Pain
Pleasure For Pain
Do you ever look at someone eating something hot, in pain, nose running, and just wonder… why?! Well something happens as a result of this pain - endorphins! Endorphins are the body’s way of relieving pain. Couple that with the dopamine dump and you’re left with a buzz.
Chipotle Be Kidding Me
Trevor, the Director of Dumb at HHF, had a fairly embarrassing realization a couple years back. When expressing his profound knowledge of hot peppers a co-worker (his boss at the time) had to explain that chipotle peppers are roasted jalapenos. Yup, they’re the same pepper. Since then Trevor has been humble in everything.