A pepper or two in the salad, a big bowl of chili, maybe some stuffed hot peppers…all these are delicious, if you are used to eating spicy food. For those who don’t know exactly how hot is too hot, here’s some advice:
Many people bite into a hot pepper only to discover too late that it’s a little beyond their tolerance range. The heat in a pepper comes from capsaicin, and the hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. There are a number of remedies for the effects of eating a pepper that is too hot for you. Over time, your taste buds can build up a tolerance to the heat of peppers and you won’t have to resort to the cures mentioned below - at least, not as often.
Rule number one is to never drink cold water when eating peppers. The capsaicin, which is an oil, does not mix with the water but is instead distributed to more parts of the mouth, spreading the heat even more. The old saying that “water spreads the fire” is quite accurate. Many people recommend drinking tomato juice or eating a fresh lemon or lime, with the theory being that the acid counteracts the alkalinity of the capsaicin.
More useful solutions include drinking milk (rinse your mouth with it as you sip) or eating rice or bread, which will absorb the capsaicin.
Most hot pepper aficionados will tell you that the best remedy against a pepper attack is to simply eat another. And if that doesn’t work, eat another one. We recommend taking that advice with some spoonfuls of rice-or a few slices of bread.