Why Does Spicy Food Feel Hot?

What You'll Learn

• Spicy food isn't actually hot in temperature — it's a trick on your brain
• A chemical called capsaicin in peppers tells your brain "HOT! FIRE!"
• Your brain thinks your mouth is burning, but there's no real heat
• Drinking water doesn't help — milk works better because capsaicin dissolves in fat
• The Scoville scale measures how spicy a pepper is

Words to Know

Capsaicin

The chemical in peppers that tricks your brain into feeling heat

"Capsaicin makes jalapenos spicy."

Scoville scale

A number that tells you how spicy a pepper is

"The Carolina Reaper scores 2.2 million on the Scoville scale."

Receptor

A tiny sensor on your tongue that sends messages to your brain

"Capsaicin sticks to heat receptors."

Dissolve

When something mixes into a liquid and disappears

"Capsaicin dissolves in fat, not water."

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• Capsaicin is the chemical in chili peppers that causes the sensation of heat

  Source: American Chemical Society

• Capsaicin binds to TRPV1 receptors on the tongue, which normally detect temperatures above 109F

  Source: Journal of Neuroscience

• The brain interprets the TRPV1 signal as "burning" even though no actual heat is present

  Source: Harvard Medical School

• The Scoville scale measures pepper spiciness in Scoville Heat Units (SHU)

  Source: American Chemical Society

• Bell pepper: 0 SHU; jalapeno: ~5,000 SHU; Carolina Reaper: ~2.2 million SHU

  Source: Guinness World Records

• Capsaicin is hydrophobic (doesn't dissolve in water) but dissolves in fats and oils

  Source: ACS