My fiancé *LOVES* spicy food, and a lot of other foods I don’t like, which is fine, but we were talking a few days ago and I told him I thought bell peppers were spicy, he laughed and said, “They’re not spicy? What do you mean?” Which made me contemplate everything I’ve ever known. Am I just broken?
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No, bell peppers are not spicy. I bet he is actually mildly allergic to them and is interpreting his reaction as spiciness.
Capsaicin, the compound that your body interprets as “heat” in a picante way, is a chemical that your body can adjust to. Eat it long enough and your body will adjust and no longer notice when you eat it.
Edit: there also might be a perceptual component to it, since bell peppers *should* have no capsaicin whatsoever. I have a family member who will eat homemade tomato sauce (tomato, salt, and pepper) and complain that it’s too spicy.
Maybe you are extra sensitive to capsaicin? Do bell peppers even have capsaicin?
You’re not broken, but you might be allergic to bell peppers. There was a well-known post a while back about a fellow who thought his whole life that bananas were spicy, turns out he was allergic. I was the same way with ginger, I’d be like, I love the way ginger makes your tongue and mouth tingle and go numb! It is not meant to do that. I am allergic to ginger.
Bell peppers do not contain capsaicin. You are allergic to bell peppers, so that was pretty hilarious
There are non-tasters and super tasters. Non tasters have more taste buds on their tongue. Super tasters have less taste buds. I’m a non taster. I like spicy, salty, peppery, hot food, whiskey and big bold red wines. My wife is a super taster. She doesn’t like anything spicy. Only semi bland food and only a good chardonnay.
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