Purpose of the Potent Pepper

Prologue

I shared some habanero peppers from our community garden with a friend last night.  He touched them, and then without thinking, went to the bathroom.  And, well, you know the rest! When I was in Mexico, there was a restaurant that had a legendary super hot habanero salsa. Their biggest warning was, “do not touch the sauce!” They insisted on not letting patrons serve their own sauce because of multiple incidents of extreme pain following restroom use. Food science recommends that people wear latex gloves when handling hot peppers. I make salsa every fall with fresh veggies and never remember that recommendation until an hour later when my fingers are burning and swollen.

Pain and Pleasure
What gives hot peppers their heat and what causes the pain? Continue reading “Purpose of the Potent Pepper”