"Hot" food tolerance....?

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

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Is it something you need to work on or does one just need to "man up" - lol

Just tried some dutch cheese which is made up of what tastes like 95% chillis, it makes me cry but I love the taste of the cheese.

Can you train yourself to have a higher threshold?

I am 32 and to be honest, have never had a high threshold regarding "hot" foods. Sure, I do not like bland foods but have never been one of the "hotter the better" brigade.

Although I appreciate the difference a little Chilli can add to a meal, on the whole, is there any need to eat things which make you cry :)
 
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I loathed hot food as a child, in fact up until the age of 15 a tikka was about as hot as I'd get.

Over time you enjoy it more however, I regularly cook using Dave's Insanity Sauce.

I also spend more time crying on the toilet, that is something you don't get used to.
 
Yeah I think you can work on it. I can definitely eat spicier food now than I used to be able to. Put chilli in everything!
 
Definitely something you work up to. My dad grows habeneros and a bit of selective farming has seen them get ridiculously hot over the years. So much flavour though so still enjoyable
 
I made some jerk chicken the other day and over 6 legs the marinade for it contained 3 big scotch bonnets and eating that was hard work to be fair. Normally I can manage a lot but it was very bleeding hot.
 
It's definitely something you work on. I remember flaming hot monster munch were at one point too hot for me to eat. Now I chuck birdseyes in everything and stuff other people complain is too hot I can't even detect heat in really.
 
As I have gotten older got more adventuris with spice/chilli.

Their is something addictive about the pain/pleasure of spice.

Man v Food hot challenges proves that you can build up a tolerance, he tried the suicide six challenge in the first series and couldnt eat one hot wing with super hot chillis then he tried it a year or so later and did much better.


 
I agree with the majority. It is something you can work up to. However, a lot of it is to do with not knowing what to expect, it catches you off guard and you tend to over react. Next time you eat something you know is going to be spicy and hot just tolerate it and fight back to the urge to wave your hands everywhere. After a couple of mouthfuls you will probably find it more tolerable.

I used to hate Jalepeno peppers. Way too hot for me but I love the flavour. So, i made some stuffed with cream chesse and deep fried in egg and bread crumbs. Because I knew what I was expecting it didn't seem half as bad.
 
I don't think it's really a case of 'working on it', but more you 'loosing' taste buds as you get older. Of course children don't like hot food, their sense of taste is far more sensitive than yours.

Regardless, don't make the same mistake that i did... and swallow a home dried chilli whole. After about four minutes of barely being able to breath and tears streaming down my bright red face my body made the (correct i have to say in hindsight) decision not to digest it ;)
 
It hasn't got anything to do with taste buds, it directly binds with a specific pain receptors (the ones to do with heat) in any tissue with them. It's an irritant Which is why it "burns" everything from skin, tounge, lips and as it comes out the other end, as it isn't broken down.

Your body gets used to it and gets desensitised like any irritant used regularly. This one has the benefit of releasing more endorphins though, so it's a pleasure/pain thing going on..
I couldn't even stand creamy curries when young, now I need a lot and enjoy it. Nothing like a good sweat session. Just not in public.
 
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Went to Goa with a girlfriend and another couple a while ago. I am used to quite hot food, but the others were not. On the flight they served curry which the others struggled with, though it was a milder one.

10 days later on the return flight they were all eating the whole chilis that were served with the curry - doesn't take long to get used to it.
 
cheets64 said:
As I have gotten older got more adventuris with spice/chilli.

Their is something addictive about the pain/pleasure of spice.

Man v Food hot challenges proves that you can build up a tolerance, he tried the suicide six challenge in the first series and couldnt eat one hot wing with super hot chillis then he tried it a year or so later and did much better.


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I can relate to this hot wing challenge. I went to a place called "The Brooklyn Diner" just off Times Square and they had buffalo wings as a starter with 3 choices - Hot, Spicy or Incendiary.

Me being a smart arse asked for Incendiary. I knew it was probably a mistake given the waiter smiled one of those "you have no idea pal" smiles :o

As soon as the first one touched my lips they were on fire. Man it was hot. I was sweating like fat kid in a sweetie shop. Managed to power through all 6 wings mind but it did take me some time :o
 
Defintely, I used to top out at jalapenos, but over the years I moved through tabasco and am now up to scotch bonnet territory.
 
It's a bit of a guy thing isn't it - you have an affinity with chillies. I love spicy stuff though, and my tolerance is going up. Ideally I want that level where my eyes are almost watering and my mouth is tingling but I'm not actually in pain... I've had a couple of run-ins with too-hot chillies where I've run screaming into the kitchen and tried everything - yoghurt, bread, saltwater, sugarwater - to no avail.

Never had a vindaloo in me life. Maybe one day. Those things are like rites of passage.
 
I love hot food and always have, although I much prefer the proper hot stuff when I'm sat at home and I can sweat all I like :D I normally stick to probably what everyone else calls the hot option when I'm out and about.
 
I love spicy food and have a high tolerance compared to my friends and family. I just hate the day after though, which isn't very pleasant.
 
Axleuk said:
I agree with the majority. It is something you can work up to. However, a lot of it is to do with not knowing what to expect, it catches you off guard and you tend to over react. Next time you eat something you know is going to be spicy and hot just tolerate it and fight back to the urge to wave your hands everywhere. After a couple of mouthfuls you will probably find it more tolerable.
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Yeah the expectation definitely has a lot to do with it. I think a lot of people panic when they get really spicy food - they think it's going to kill them or something. If you just shut your mouth, chew away and calm yourself a bit you only have the 'pain' to deal with.
Which actually is only really similar to having drunk a hot drink or something :p The panicking is the worst as well, if you sit there with your mouth open, breathing heavily in and out you make the spice much worse. If you keep eating and don't leave your mouth empty it's a lot easier to handle.
 
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