🌶️ The Hottest Chili
Read about the spiciest food in the world and the science behind it!
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💭 Before You Read
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💡 Think about: chili peppers, hot sauce, curry, or other spicy dishes.
💡 Think about: taste preferences, culture, or the feeling of «heat.»
💡 Think about: colds, weight loss, or how your body reacts.
Read the text about the hottest chili in the world.
THE HOTTEST CHILI
A spicy story about capsaicin and world records
You may have experienced the feeling—your mouth feels like it’s on fire and the heat causes your eyes to water. You’ve just eaten one of nature’s spiciest foods—the chili pepper!
Chili peppers, also called chilies, are found in various dishes around the world—from Indian curries to Thai tom yum soup to Mexican enchiladas. Chilies come from the capsicum plant, and they are «hot» because they contain an ingredient called capsaicin.
Eating a hot chili can be painful, but the capsaicin may be good for your health. It opens your nose so you can breathe better. It may even be good for losing weight: capsaicin makes you feel less hungry and makes your body use more calories.
We can measure the capsaicin in chilies with Scoville heat units (SHU). A fairly spicy green pepper has about 1,500 units. The world’s hottest chili, the Naga Jolokia («Ghost Pepper»), has more than a million!
The Naga Jolokia is produced in the Assam region of India. Recently, Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old mother from Assam, broke a world record by eating 51 of these hot peppers—in just two minutes!
«I found eating chilies was a great way to stay healthy,» says Tamuly, who began eating chilies when she was a child. «Every time I have a cold or flu I just munch on some chillies and I feel better. To be honest, I barely notice them now.»
🎯 While You Read
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📝 Key Words
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📋 Questions
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