Every time we talk about spicy food, we think that they can harm our digestive system, however, many people really can't tolerate spicy dishes. But on the other side, some people can't live without adding spicy food to their diet. Which one do you belong to?
The following are some of the many curiosities of spicy food in history:
- Archaeologists say that people have been using spicy seasonings in their meals for more than 6,000 years.
- Cristobal Colon discovered chili peppers when he arrived in the Americas in 1493.
- In Mexico alone, 140 varieties of chili peppers are grown.
- International Spicy Food Day is celebrated on January 16.
- A common reaction to eating spicy foods is sweating, known as gustatory sweating.
- Heat produced by spices or foods is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Created by Wilbur Scoville, a pioneer in the process of measuring the heat produced by a food or spice. Today, this test is performed with a liquid chromatograph.
- As a comparison, jalapenos have an average range of 5,000 to 7,000 (SHU). Tabasco averages 30,000 to 50,000 (SHU). Habanero peppers, long considered the hottest peppers on the planet, typically average 200,000 to 300,000 (SHU). The Trinidad Scorpion Butch T, current world record holder for the hottest bell pepper, has been valued at 1,463,700 (SHU).
- Capsaicin, the chemical in chili peppers and/or ajis that makes them hot, is not found in any other plant and is potent enough that people can identify it even when the concentration is as small as one part per million.
- That part of the chili plant just below the stem produces the ribs and seeds, some of these parts are more than 16 times hotter than the rest of the bell pepper.
- Generally, the smaller the bell pepper, the hotter it is, and none of the hottest peppers in the world are larger than 5 cm.
- Peppers are high in vitamins, are a good source of beta-carotene, calcium and potassium, and can help reduce cholesterol.
- Many spicy foods have medicinal and antimicrobial properties.
- It has been shown that garlic, chili peppers, onions, allspice and oregano kill bacteria, making food safer to eat.
- Chili peppers can help with weight loss by stimulating metabolism and curbing cravings for fatty and sugary foods.
While most people think that eating spicy foods such as peppers can cause stomach ulcers, the opposite is true. Eating spicy foods can help heal ulcers by stimulating the creation of mucosa, the protective lining of the stomach, and killing the bacteria responsible for the ulcer.
Discover here all the varieties of peppers we cultivate in our greenhouses.
