Anytime you eat a hot pepper. Jalapeno, habanero, ghost pepper, etc… you get an immediate feeling of heat in your mouth. But what causes that?
It’s a chemical compound in the pepper called capsaicin. Which basically triggers the receptors in your mouth and tongue to tell your brain “something is on fire”.
I’ll be thinking of this tonight when I’m eating my guacamole with jalapenos for Taco Tuesday.
Image credit: Getty Images