The biology of a red chili pepper get you ready for the experience (so you can then sense it and eat it). What makes your mouth burn is a molecule called capsaicin, which Scoville scale help you understand. The visual chart put things in perspective, from bell peppers (zero heat) to superhot peppers (pepper spray rivals). Respect the chemistry.
For more than ten years, the hottest pepper in the world was the Carolina Reaper (averaging 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units). Until Pepper X came along, developed by Ed Currie. The latest tests has the Pepper X at 3.18 million SHU and counting. Why do people continue to create hotter peppers? Here’s the time line. It’s all about dopamine rush.
How Chili Peppers Burn and How to Stay Safe
And once you know what it does inside your brain, you’ll understand why it makes perfect sense: we’re chasing that dopamine rush from the peppers. TRPV1 receptors, which detect heat when temperatures goes above 109 degrees Fahrenheit, bind with capsaicin found in your mouth. At room temp, capsaicin fools those nerve receptor into firing. That’s why your brain thinks you’re on fire, that’s what those nerves is reporting.
Because capsaicin is oil-soluble, water only make things worse by spreading it over an even greater surface area. Only dairy milk and other products containing casein proteins will effectively wash capsaicin’s molecules off your tongue. And yet most folks grab a glass of water, which make things even worse.
Start with mild varieties when building up your tolerance; don’t use the hottest peppers first. Superhots like Carolina Reapers and Dragon’s Breaths (below) is far hotter than Habaneros and Ghost Peppers, yet those last two are very hot indeed. Over time our bodies becomes more tolerant as we get used to regular doses of something painful.
Capsaicin passes through skin readily; go easy on the gloves because contact with your eyes afterward will hurt for hours and cause temporary blindness. The seeds themselves aren’t spicy; the white placenta containing them is. It’s this pith you have to remove to reduce the heat of your dish if you find it necessary to cool things off.
Why? Because humans has receptors for capsaicin and birds don’t, so they are not burning their mouths when they eat it. Peppers evolved over time to attract birds, who disperse seeds without harm. We would of got the short end of the stick evolutionarily by burning our faces off in the process.
It ranges from the theoretical maximum of pure capsaicin resiniferatoxin to mild Jalapenos on the Scoville Scale. Most cooks will find enough flavor in a Serrano pepper or even Cayenne pepper while avoiding the need for medication. Superhot is chemical warfare on your pain receptors.
Scale limits must be followed; proceed cautiousy. Milk is your friend: it alleviate symptoms. Unless you’re prepared with a tub of ice cream and robust lung capacity to endure the after-party, don’t mess with Pepper X. It’s hot, yes, but there’s something worth having at the end of that inferno, if you can make it through alive.