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IntervalWorld.com INTERVAL WORLD Summer 2015
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Around the World in Chiles
Take Mexico, for example. Working with a veritable A-list — the
approachable poblano, the flirtatious jalapeño, and the outra-
geous habanero, to name a few — the birthplace of chiles serves
up favorites from cayenne-spiced chocolate to complex
mole
sauces. The versatile chile is a beloved regular at any meal,
freshly chopped in salsa, powdered on mango slices, stuffed with
cheese, or smoked and simmered into aromatic stews.
Chiles are hot throughout the southwestern U.S., of course.
But New Mexico’s love affair with its own New Mexico chile — a
mildly hot pepper — has led to the official state question: “Red
or green?” Here,
chile
is a sauce made from either unripe green
chiles or dried red chiles. “Christmas” is the answer if you can’t
choose between the two.
Thailand loves its peppers, too. Notorious for some of the hottest
dishes on the planet, the country embraces its long, thin bird’s eyes,
and generously adds them to soups, salads, and curries.
Feel the Burn
It’s the compound capsaicin that triggers the burn you get from
a bite of blackened fish or a salsa-laden burrito. Concentrated in
the pepper’s membrane, seeds, and veins, capsaicin reacts with
the mouth’s soft tissue, sending signals to the brain that some-
thing hot has entered the body. The heart rate rises, perspiration
is generated, and chemicals are released.
Among those chemicals are endorphins, the feel-good sub-
stances also triggered by meditation, laughter, and physical
exercise, which can result in stress reduction and even euphoria.
No wonder we go back for more.
But when you get too much of a good thing, the best antidote
is cold milk. The casein in dairy products neutralizes the capsaicin
and eases the burning. Although not nearly as effective as milk,
other antidotes include alcoholic beverages, starchy foods such
as rice, and sugar water.
Too Hot to Handle
Those who’ve cooked with chiles know that the oils from fresh,
chopped peppers can burn the skin. And woe is the cook who
makes the mistake of rubbing his or her eyes after cutting up a
handful of jalapeños! The best advice is to wear latex or rubber
gloves when handling peppers. If it’s too late, cold milk is a sooth-
ing soak for the skin.
Continued from page 27