Chili heat isn't a flavor — it's your pain and temperature nerves being chemically tricked by a molecule called capsaicin. This short course follows the heat from the molecule to the meal: how capsaicin fools the same receptor that senses real heat, how spiciness is measured on the Scoville scale, why some peppers are far hotter than others, what actually puts the fire out (it isn't water), and how to cook with heat on purpose.
Chili heat isn't a flavor — it's your pain and temperature nerves being chemically tricked by a molecule called capsaicin. This short course follows the heat from the molecule to the meal: how capsaicin fools the same receptor that senses real heat, how spiciness is measured on the Scoville scale, why some peppers are far hotter than others, what actually puts the fire out (it isn't water), and how to cook with heat on purpose.
