More specifically:
Why, when a person from a region that typically eats spicy food eats something you think is hot, do they say “this isn’t spicy” even if there’s like 5 jalapenos (exaggeration.) Can they taste the spice but they’re just used to it and are being mean to my caucasian tastebuds, or can they literally not register any spice. If the second one, how does this work? If the prior, how does being used to spicy things work?
Edit: on reflection, 5 jalapenos clearly isnt an exaggeration.
Edit 2: I’m talking MY caucasian tastebuds. Me being from Europe where spice is not everywhere. I’m not saying white people can’t be used to spice. (That’s sort of what I was asking anyway, is spice tolerance nature or nurture)
In: Biology
after repeated exposure to capsaicin (the spicy) the receptors in your mouth begin to stop responding as much to it, as nerves tend to do when constantly stimulated (downregulation). Basically the nerve is sort of saying “ok ok we get it turn it off” and adds a phosphate group to one part of the receptor and the end result is you’ve (temporarily) become less able to sense the spiciness.
This process is reversible, and you will eventually return to the same spicy food tolerance as you started with if you quit eating spicy food for a while.
So no, below a certain threshold the person actually cannot feel the heat as much. But the person will still seek spicy food if they begin to enjoy the hot sensation, and will need spicier food for the same effect now that they have a higher tolerance.
Anecdotally, I am caucasian and enjoy spicy food. It doesn’t really matter what area of the world you are from, you can get used to it. It’s just that you probably didn’t start getting used to it when you were five like people from some areas often would. The whole white people can’t handle spice thing is just one of those white people stereotypes we all kind of laugh off even though they’re kinda ignorant.
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