I have an ongoing argument with my family about whether or not spiciness is actually a flavor/spice. I don’t think it is.
Perhaps we seek out the painful experience of snacking on chillies while consciously maintaining awareness that there is no real danger to ourselves … it is this cognitive mismatch itself that provides the thrill: … the burn of capsaicin only seems to be threatening.
This is my opinion of why people like spiciness, and I think it has some roundabout evolutionary answer as well.
via The Guardian World News Why do we eat chilli?.
categories:
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tags:
- biology
- food
- neuro
- plants
- science