food

There’s no fire. There’s no high temperature. There are no embers on your tongue. And yet… it burns. The sensation that spicy food “burns” is one of the most fascinating illusions of the human body. Because you’re not actually feeling heat. You’re feeling pain. The Chemical Trick Behind Spiciness The main culprit is a molecule called capsaicin , found in chili peppers. Capsaicin doesn’t raise the temperature in your mouth. What it does is far more interesting: it activates th