Why people eat chili
The two most commonly accepted reasons, as cited by the New York Times:
- “If you are living in a hot climate, the increase in body temperature [from eating spicy food] can make you feel cooler by diminishing the difference between you and the surrounding air and by inducing sweating, which cools the body when the perspiration evaporates.”
- “Peppery foods are also believed to stimulate the appetite by setting off the flow of saliva and gastric juices, a nutritionally important effect for people in tropical areas where the oppressive heat acts as an appetite suppressant.”
However, Cornell University researchers believe those reasons are minor compared to this one: many spices have anti-microbial properties. In other words, herbs and spices, which have been proven to inhibit the growth of bacteria and other tiny nasties, are more widely used in hotter climates because the bugs grow faster there, especially on meat and other proteins.
The scientists even found an evolutionary advantage. Said one:
People who enjoyed food with antibacterial spices probably were healthier, especially in hot climates. They lived longer and left more offspring. And they taught their offspring and others: “This is how to cook a mastodon.” We believe the ultimate reason for using spices is to kill food-borne bacteria and fungi.
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