Hot sauces FAQs
What is the Scoville scale?
The Scoville scale is what is used to measure the hotness of a pepper or hot sauce. Although some people believe you can best find out the heat of a sauce by tricking a friend into eating it, the Scoville Scale actually gives you a point of reference in trying to understand how hot an item really is.
According to this scale, the absolute hottest pepper-related substance that is available is pure capsaicin, while the mildest pepper is the bell pepper. While the bell pepper registers at zero on the scale, the capsaicin comes in at around 15,000. A jalapeno pepper scores between 2,500-8,000.
Which regional areas are best known for their use of hot sauce?
As hard as it is to believe, there are many cultures that use hot sauce very sparingly or sometimes not at all. But, there are several cultures that love to use hot sauce as often as they can.
Among others, some of the regions that use this sauce more than most others are the United States, Mexico, China, Thailand, Japan, the West Indies, Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Belize.
In some of these places, the use of the hot sauce depends a lot on which region of the country a person lives. But for others, like those who live in Thailand, hot sauces are used almost on a daily basis.
I just ate some very hot sauce. How can I get rid of the pain?
One of the most effective ways to relieve the burning sensation that comes with the consumption of hot sauce is to drink a cold beverage or ice water. The colder the better. Another item that works well is ice cream. Stuffing a huge, freezing spoonful of ice cream in your mouth does wonders to help cool down the pain.
Dairy products are also somewhat effective in cooling down your mouth. Yogurt and sour cream are considered to be especially helpful. Even if you do not do anything, the burning sensation will go away, but unless you are a glutton for punishment, you may want to try to relieve the pain you feel.
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