How To Eat Spicy Food: A Daring Guide

Time to train those tastebuds Spicy foods enjoy high popularity throughout much of the world. From peppery Louisiana barbecue sauce coating a rack of ribs to wasabi used to compliment your sushi, you’re likely to …

Time to train those tastebuds

Spicy foods enjoy high popularity throughout much of the world. From peppery Louisiana barbecue sauce coating a rack of ribs to wasabi used to compliment your sushi, you’re likely to encounter spicy food when perusing different cultural cuisines. Unfortunately, many are unsure of how to eat spicy food and enjoy it due to the sweating, runny nose, and intense mouth burn that ensues. This could be due to having a highly sensitive palate or simply being unsure of what to expect if spicy foods are unfamiliar. Never to fear though because there are various methods one can employ to enjoy the bold flavor that spicy foods offer.

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Start with a mild level of spiciness

As it is with becoming proficient at any skill or pastime, it’s important to build a solid foundation when learning how to handle spicy food. To do this, start with building up a tolerance to foods with mild spice such as putting a little pepper on your dinner or trying out mild salsa on tortilla chips. As your current threshold for spiciness increases, you can gradually push your comfort zone outwards and try new types of spicy cuisine.

Cold and creamy dairy compliments

Spicy foods contain a chemical called capsaicin which causes the fiery sensation when they come into contact with your mouth. One way of easing this is by ingesting dairy products while you eat. Milk has a compound called casein which washes away the capsaicin in your mouth. So don’t be afraid to eat your spicy entrée with a tall glass of milk or perhaps indulge in the guilty pleasure of a bowl of ice cream for an added cooling effect.[easyazon_infoblock add_to_cart="default" align="left" asin="1572841133" cloaking="default" layout="top" localization="default" locale="US" nofollow="default" new_window="default" tag="fieryflavors-20" type="single" link_id="77"]

Distract your taste buds

During your mealtime, try taking breaks from eating your spicy item of choice. Eating spicy foods continuously allows the capsaicin to build up which creates an ever increasingly intense fire in your mouth. It may be best to temporarily give your taste buds other flavors to focus on while your body deals with its current onslaught of spiciness. Try eating sweet or salty foods, or perhaps something to help absorb the capsaicin-filled saliva in your mouth like crackers or bread.

Don’t give up

Learning how to eat spicy food can be an intimidating process but ultimately it’s quite rewarding. As long as you take it slow and steady, you’ll soon be enjoying spicy cuisine the world over.