Chile Peppers: Where's the Heat?

Enlarge Image Image Gallery This Birdseye Chile's orange placenta indicates it is a hotter pepper. iStockphoto.com/Tracy Hebden

We all have them – a pepper story. “I don’t know what happened. I’d ordered ‘medium’ there before with no problem. But this time, when I put the first bite in my mouth, blam! It was so hot it blew the top of my head off!” And, we all know them – the chileheads. Those people in our lives who put Tabasco sauce on their eggs, think jalapeño liqueur sounds like a good idea and make chili that will clean the rust off your old truck’s fender. So, what’s up with the heat? What makes peppers hot?

The heat from a pepper is not a flavor. It doesn’t interact with your taste buds but with the pain receptors in your mouth! They send the signal of burning (that is, pain) to your brain, which makes chiles seem hot. Your brain, in turn, responds as if something is burning, sending blood to the region, turning your face red and making you sweat. This reaction is different for each person. Some sweat profusely; others feel the heat intensely; while some are hardly affected. (Check out our website to learn if you’re a “supertaster.”) The pain response also includes the release of endorphins, which can create an effect similar to a “runner’s high.” Those who have a fervent love of chiles tell me that, in addition to cleaning their sinuses, eating a habanero-hot meal gives them a feeling of well-being.

What sends this fire alarm to your brain? Hot peppers contain capsaicin (pronounced cap-SAY-a-sin) and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. Capsaicin is the active ingredient in pepper spray – those who handle it in its pure form do so while wearing hazmat suits. The chemical is produced by glands in the pepper’s placenta (where the seeds attach), and most of the heat is centered there.