The science of spiciness - Rose Eveleth

辛辣的科学 - Rose Eveleth

翻译人员: Daixin Neill-Quan 校对人员: Sherry Chen

Why does your mouth feel like it's on fire

为什么吃辣椒时

when you eat a spicy pepper?

嘴里像是着了火一样？

And how do you soothe the burn?

怎样才能缓解这种灼烧感？

Why does wasabi make your eyes water?

为什么山葵酱能让人流泪？

And how spicy is the spiciest spice?

最辣的辛香料究竟有多辣？

Let's back up a bit.

让我们从头说起

First, what is spiciness?

首先想一个问题：什么是辣味？

Even though we often say that something tastes spicy,

我们常说一些食物很辣

it's not actually a taste,

但实际上辣并不是一种味道

like sweet or salty or sour.

它不同于甜、咸、酸这些可以尝到的味道

Instead, what's really happening

之所以会感到辣是因为

is that certain compounds in spicy foods

辛辣食物中的一些复合物

activate the type of sensory neurons

激活了人体中

called polymodal nociceptors.

一种叫“伤害性感受器”的感觉神经元

You have these all over your body,

这种神经元遍布全身

including your mouth and nose,

嘴和鼻中就有这种神经元

and they're the same receptors

值得一提的是，当身体接触到热烫物体时

that are activated by extreme heat.

也能激活这种神经元

So, when you eat a chili pepper,

当你吃辣椒时

your mouth feels like it's burning

嘴里之所以像是着了火

because your brain actually thinks it's burning.

是因为大脑的确认为嘴里起火了

The opposite happens when you eat something

而如果这时再吃一些含薄荷醇的食物

with menthol in it.

嘴里就会有相反的感觉，灼烧感会缓解很多

The cool, minty compound

这是因为凉凉的薄荷味复合物

is activating your cold receptors.

激活了你的冷觉感受器

When these heat-sensitive receptors are activated,

当热敏感受器被激活

your body thinks it's in contact

大脑会认为你贴近了

with a dangerous heat source

危险的热源

and reacts accordingly.

身体会做出一定的反应

This is why you start to sweat,

因此这时你会开始流汗

and your heart starts beating faster.

心跳加速

The peppers have elicited

吃辣椒引起的身体本能反应

the same fight-or-flight response

跟身体应对危险状况的本能反应

with which your body reacts to most threats.

是一样的

But you may have noticed that

你可能已经发现

not all spicy foods are spicy in the same way.

不同辣食的辣味各有不同

And the difference lies in the types of compounds involved.

食物中的不同复合物形成了不同的辣味

The capsaicin and piperine,

比如，黑胡椒和红辣椒中含有的

found in black pepper and chili peppers,

辣椒素和胡椒碱是由

are made up of larger, heavier molecules

一种叫“烷基胺”的分子组成

called alkylamides,

这种分子较大、较重

and those mostly stay in your mouth.

能滞留在嘴中

Mustard, horseradish, and wasabi

而芥末酱、辣根酱、山葵酱中含有

are made up of smaller molecules,

一种叫“异硫氰酸盐”的分子

called isothiocyanates,

这种分子较小

that easily float up into your sinuses.

能轻松扩散到鼻窦处

This is why chili peppers burn your mouth,

所以，吃红辣椒时，嘴里会有灼烧感

and wasabi burns your nose.

而吃山葵酱时，鼻子里会有灼烧感

The standard measure of a food's spiciness

食物辣度的标准计量方法是借助

is its rating on the Scoville scale,

史高维尔辣度单位

which measures how much its capsaicin content can be diluted

测量方法是不断稀释被测物中的辣椒素

before the heat is no longer detectable to humans.

直到人感觉不到辣为止 稀释液体的总和即是被测物的史高维尔辣度单位

A sweet bell pepper gets 0 Scoville heat units,

甜椒的史高维尔辣度单位是0

while Tabasco sauce clocks in between 1,200-2,400 units.

塔巴斯科辣沙司的辣度单位在1200-2400之间

The race to create the hottest pepper

现在，培植最辣辣椒

is a constant battle,

俨然成为一种国际竞赛

but two peppers generally come out on top:

目前公认最辣的两种辣椒是

The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion

千里达莫鲁加毒蝎椒

and the Carolina Reaper.

和 卡罗来纳死神辣椒

These peppers measure

这两种辣椒的

between 1.5 and 2 million Scoville heat units,

史高维尔辣度单位在150-200万之间

which is about half the units found in pepper spray.

相当于一半的辣椒喷雾剂辣度单位

So, why would anyone want to eat something

为什么有人愿意吃

that causes such high levels of pain?

能造成如此巨大痛苦的食物呢？

Nobody really knows when or why

我们无法得知人类最早食用辣椒的

humans started eating hot peppers.

时间和原因

Archaeologists have found spices like mustard

考古学家从两万三千多年前的

along with human artifacts

古人类器皿中

dating as far back as 23,000 years ago.

发现了类似芥末的香料

But they don't know whether the spices were used

但尚不明确这些香料是用作

for food or medication or just decoration.

调味、治病，还是仅仅作为装饰

More recently, a 6,000 year old crockpot,

最近，考古学家还发现一个六千多年前的瓦罐

lined with charred fish and meat,

罐旁有烤鱼和烤肉的遗迹

also contained mustard.

罐内有芥末

One theory says that humans

有观点认为古人类从这时开始

starting adding spices to food

在食物中加入香料

to kill off bacteria.

以此杀菌

And some studies show that spice developed

一些研究显示，在古代，香料主要生长在

mostly in warmer climates

气候较热的地区

where microbes also happen to be more prevalent.

而这些地方也更容易滋生细菌

But why we continue to subject ourselves

至于为什么人类到了今天

to spicy food today

仍对辛辣食物欲罢不能

is still a bit of a mystery.

还是个解不开的谜团

For some people,

对一些人来说

eating spicy food

吃辛辣的食物

is like riding rollercoasters;

就像坐过山车

they enjoy the ensuing thrill,

虽然当时最直接的感受并不舒服

even if the immediate sensation is unpleasant.

但他们非常享受随之而来的刺激感

Some studies have even shown

还有研究显示

that those who like to eat hot stuff

喜欢吃辣食的人

are more likely to enjoy other adrenaline-rich activities,

也更乐于从事其他能激起肾上腺素的活动

like gambling.

比如赌博

The taste for spicy food

对辛辣食物的喜好程度

may even be genetic.

甚至也有遗传的因素

And if you're thinking about training a bit,

如果你想训练得自己

to up your tolerance for spice,

更能吃辣

know this:

有这么几条信息跟您分享：

According to some studies,

一些研究显示

the pain doesn't get any better.

辣带来的灼烧感从不会减轻

You just get tougher.

只是吃辣的人的忍耐力提高了

In fact, researchers have found

研究人员发现

that people who like to eat spicy foods

喜欢吃辣食的人

don't rate the burn any less painful

跟不喜欢吃辣食的人

than those who don't.

体验到的辛辣感是一样的

They just seem to like the pain more.

只是喜欢吃辣的人更享受那种灼烧感

So, torment your heat receptors all you want,

所以，尽情磨练你的热觉感受器吧

but remember, when it comes to spicy food,

不过要记住，当你吃辣食的时候

you're going to get burned.

大脑会认为你被灼烫了