what is it in milk that stops your mouth burning from spicy foods?

Question

Drinking milk after eating chilli or curry etc makes your mouth hurt less. But why? And are there any dairy free alternatives that do the same?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

In addition to the casein, milk contains fats, capsaicin is lipophilic meaning it likes to mix with fats. Milk is a relatively watery substance that allows the capsaicin to bind to the casein, and be washed away by the fats making it an all around spice killer