THE SCIENCE

OF
SPICINESS

1 Warm up
In pairs, look at the following facts about chilli peppers. One of them is not true. Decide which one.

1. Birds are immune to the heat of chilli peppers.

2. Mexico is the largest exporter of chilli peppers in the world.
3. There is more vitamin C in a chilli pepper than there is in an orange.
4. The largest amount of ghost peppers eaten in one minute is 97g by Canadian, Mike Jack.

Discuss
• What do you think of spicy food?
• What is your favourite spicy dish? How do you make it?
• What spices are good for our health?
2 Vocabulary

Part A: Match the vocabulary from the video you will watch to the definitions.

1. elicit a. a group of atoms bonded together (it is the smallest unit of a

chemical compound)
2. receptor b. a micro-organism e.g. bacteria causing disease

3. fight-or-flight response c. an organ or cell which responds to light, heat and other sensations

4. compounds d. a primitive reaction to stress, causing an increase in adrenaline (it

prepares you to attack, or to run away)
5. molecules e. cause physical or mental suffering

6. diluted f. get a reaction or an answer from someone

7. microbe g. made weaker e.g. by adding water or another weaker element

8. torment h. something which consists of two or more separate elements

Part B: Now look at these examples and write the words from Part A in the gaps in the correct form.

1. The sudden gust of cold wind a sharp gasp for breath from Lucas.
2. The kitchen was cleaned thoroughly with bleach to prevent the accumulation of any harmful
.
3. With the desert sun high in the sky and miles to go before he reached home, Ali was
by visions of an ice cold drink of water.
4. Water is a made up of one of oxygen to two molecules of
hydrogen (H2O).
5. When vinegar is with water, it makes an effective cleaning solution for windows
and other surfaces.
6. As the intruder entered the dining room, he heard a low growl from a large dog he had not seen
before. This triggered his . He wisely chose the latter.
 Part C: In pairs, discuss the following:

1. Describe a situation when you felt your fight-or-flight response kick in.
2. Can you name anything that you first need to dilute in order to use it?
3. What would you need to do to elicit an angry response from your friends? Your family? What
would you need to do to elicit a happy response from them?
4. What precautions do you take in day-to-day life to guard against microbes?
5. Can you give an example of a compound?
6. What dreams, ideas or situations torment you?

3 Understanding details

In pairs, discuss the following question.

Why does spicy food like wasabi and mustard burn your nose, but chilli peppers burn your
mouth?

Part A: Now, look at these sentences taken from the video. Put them in the correct order to create a
complete paragraph.

Mustard, horseradish, and wasabi are made up of smaller molecules, called isothiocyanate,

that easily float up into your sinuses.

The capsaicin and piperine, found in black pepper and chilli peppers, are made up of larger, heavier
molecules called alkylamides, and

This is why chilli peppers burn your mouth, and wasabi burns your nose.

those mostly stay in your mouth.

You may have noticed that not all spicy foods are spicy in the same way. And the difference lies in the
types of compounds involved.

Part B: Underline the correct word in the following sentences.

1. Isothiocyanates/alkylamides are very small molecules that can access your sinuses and nose.
2. Capsaicin and wasabi/piperine are elements found in different kinds of peppers.
3. Isothiocyanates/alkylamides are large molecules that remain in your mouth.

Check your answers for Part A and Part B by watching the video (01:00 to 01:40).
4 Watching for general understanding

Now watch the whole video and complete the summary by underlining the correct word.

When a food is spicy, it’s not a 1 taste/burn/spice, but the result of compounds in the food
activating 2 sensitivity/sensory neurons/taste buds in your mouth and nose. Your body thinks
3
it is in danger and has a threatening/ fight-or-flight/risky response, which is why your
heart beats faster and you sweat. The amount of spice in a food can be measured on the
Scoville 4 chart/measure/scale. Two chilli peppers are usually identified as being the 5 most
delicious/worst/hottest: the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and the Carolina Reaper. No one is
sure why humans enjoy eating spicy food, but we have found evidence of humans eating
6
food as far back as 23,000/6,000/2,400 years ago. One idea is that the spice helps to
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cure disease/kill off microbes/reducepain, as spicy food is more often found in warmer
climates where bacteria are more likely to flourish. However, it is thought that many people
enjoy eating hot chillis for the thrill and may well enjoy other activities which give a surge
of adrenaline, such as 8 sky-diving/gambling/base jumping. The pain caused by eating a hot
chilli pepper is never reduced, but the ability to tolerate the pain does increase.

5 Talking point

In groups or pairs, look at the following foods. Can you name them? Which would you be most likely
to choose to eat in a restaurant?

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. Do people in your culture like spicy food? What kind of food are you most likely to use spices in?
2. Do you like to add spice or hot sauce to your food? If so, what kind do you use?
3. What is the hottest food you have ever eaten? What was it? What was your reaction? Would you
eat it again?
4. What do you eat or drink if you have eaten something that is too hot for you?
5. Would you eat more spicy food if it made you braver/stronger?