The challenge with chillies is to balance the heat, fragrance and flavor. Chillies stimulate the appetite by increasing the flow of saliva and gastric secretions, aiding digestion. The flavour they provide can be mild, smoky, bitter, nutty, intense with overtones of liquorice, citrus, tropical, toast, sweet fruit or berries.
There are some 300 varieties of chillies. Chillies come in a great variety of sizes, shapes and colours, and are available fresh and dried, as flakes and powder, on their own and mixed with other spices. They can be red, green, orange or almost the colour of chocolate. They can be pointy, round, small, club like, long, thin, globular, tapered, or bell shaped. Their skin may be shiny, smooth or wrinkled and their walls may be thick or thin.
The hottest part of the chilli is the membrane and the seeds attached to it. You can also remove these to reduce the ‘heat’. If it’s too late for that and your mouth is burning, don’t be tempted to drink water as this can intensify the effect in the short term. Have one of the following: common table salt, milk, yoghurt, cucumber.
The capsaicins contained in Chillies are peppery compounds and they can damage your eyes. It is a good idea to prepare chillies wearing disposable gloves to avoid skin irritation, and thoroughly wash all knives, cutting boards and anything else that has come into contact with a cut chilli. Above all, make sure you never rub your eyes, don’t touch your face, eyes or any tender part of the body if you have been preparing any kind of chilli.
The heat and health benefits comes from a chemical called capsaicin On one hand, it may help promote weight loss and relieve pain, if consumed regularly. On the other hand, it causes a burning sensation, which is unpleasant for many people, especially those who are not used to eating chili peppers.
At the conclusion, using chili peppers as a spice may be healthy for many people, while those who experience digestive distress should avoid them.