Inquiring minds want to know

More like this

A couple of times a year, our department secretary will organize potluck luncheons, and badger the faculty into cooking things and bringing them in for a big gathering in the conference room. We invite all the students, and everybody eats way too much, talks too much, and generally has a good time…
I recently started eating beef again, after 18 years of abstaining. Last weekend, I made a big batch of Chili using beef, and it was fantastic. So I thought that was a good excuse to give you my chili recipe. This is real chili. Up here in NY, usually when you see chili, it's ghastly stuff.…
Elder offspring: Hey, that's a cool chili pepper necklace. Dr. Free-Ride: Do you know that I've had this necklace for about ten years and you are the first person who didn't think it was a carrot? Elder offspring: A carrot? That doesn't look like a carrot! Dr. Free-Ride: I didn't think so,…
New Habanero Blasts Taste Buds -- And Pepper Pests: The super-hot, bright orange TigerPaw-NR habanero pepper offers extreme pungency for pepper aficionados, plus nematode resistance that will make it a hit with growers and home gardeners. Plant geneticist Richard L. Fery and plant pathologist Judy…

As a lover of moderately hot (by your standards, I think) or very hot peppers (by many other's standards), on occasion, I have a naive question to ask.

Is there a level of habenero or other chile hotness that is or can be actually injurious, or is it all pe4rceptual?

Is there a level of habenero or other chile hotness that is or can be actually injurious, or is it all pe4rceptual?

yes. though with wild peppers i think it is quantity, not quality. none of them reach pepper spray levels of spice. the pure caps extracts i get always have extreme warning labels.

"In large quantities, capsaicin can cause death. Symptoms of overdose include difficulty breathing, blue skin, and convulsions. The large amount needed to kill an adult human and the low concentration of capsaicin in chilis make accidental poisoning by chili consumption exceedingly unlikely."

By Sandgroper (not verified) on 10 Aug 2007 #permalink

Of course, if you eat them like grapes and wash them down with tequila, it improves the chances of turning blue.

I watched two guys having a contest doing that one night. Neither of them made it to work the next day.

By Sandgroper (not verified) on 10 Aug 2007 #permalink