Eli5: why does water make spice worse?
In: 0
You’re rinsing away *most* of the stuff, but the spice isn’t washing away as easily, leaving it a higher percentage of what’s still in your mouth.
on your tongue you have receptors that react to spice and thats what you feel.
But, the spice is not evenly distributed. Think of the spice as little stacks of pennies stuck together by honey, each stack only equals 1 penny against your tongue. Add water. not only are the pennies unstuck, the also move around with the water. now 10x as many pennies are directly touching tongue recrptors and you feel waaaaay more spicy.
Capsaicin is what causes spicy. Capsaicin is oil. Water can’t wash away oil on its own so it just spreads it around your mouth, making the spicy sensation worse.
Latest Answers