When consuming spicy foods, people often regularly reach for a drink between bites to help cool down their mouth. Capsaicin is the ingredient that gives chili peppers its heat and is most noticeable on your tongue and inside your mouth in general.
But what you drink can impact whether or not you get instant relief from the heat or if you make things worse.
Soda and alcohol are not particularly effective in reducing the spiciness of food, and in some cases, they can actually make the sensation worse. Here’s why:
Carbonated Drinks Like Soda Can Make Spicy Foods Worse
Carbonated soda can actually exacerbate the burning sensation caused by capsaicin. This is because the carbon dioxide in the soda can stimulate the pain receptors in your mouth, making the burning sensation more intense.
Additionally, soda is not as effective at neutralizing the capsaicin as some other remedies like milk or yogurt.
Alcohol can also be ineffective in reducing the spiciness of food. In fact, some alcoholic drinks like beer or wine can actually make the burning sensation worse. This is because alcohol can dehydrate your body and your mouth, making the capsaicin compounds more concentrated and therefore more intense.
Additionally, alcohol does not have any properties that can help to neutralize the capsaicin.
So drinking soda or alcohol on their own or combining them into a single beverage really won’t help you counteract the spiciness of foods.
Beer And Other Alcohols Can Make Spicy Food Worse, Too
Contrary to what some people might expect, beer and other alcoholic beverages do not make spicy food taste less spicy, and in some cases, they can even intensify the perception of spiciness. Here’s why:
- Alcohol and Capsaicin: The spiciness in chili peppers comes from a compound called capsaicin, which is not soluble in water but is soluble in fats and alcohol. When you consume alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, or spirits, the alcohol can actually help disperse the capsaicin throughout your mouth, making it come into contact with more taste receptors and potentially increasing the sensation of heat.
- Temporary Relief: Some people may initially feel relief from spiciness when drinking beer due to the cooling effect of the cold beverage and the psychological comfort it provides. However, this relief is often short-lived, and the spiciness can return once the cooling effect subsides.
- Palate Cleansing: Beer, especially varieties with carbonation, can have a palate-cleansing effect. It can help clear the palate between bites of spicy food, allowing you to taste the flavors more distinctly. While this doesn’t reduce spiciness, it can enhance the overall dining experience.
- Individual Tolerance: Spiciness tolerance varies from person to person. Some individuals may find that alcohol, such as beer, helps them cope with the heat, while others may feel it exacerbates the spiciness. It largely depends on individual taste preferences and tolerance levels.
- Spiciness Enhancement: In some cases, alcohol may enhance the flavors of spicy dishes, making them more enjoyable for those who appreciate the heat. This is why certain spicy cocktails or pairings, like spicy margaritas or spicy beer pairings with hot wings, are popular among those who enjoy a spicy kick.
Ultimately, the effect of alcohol on the perception of spiciness can be subjective and dependent on various factors, including the type and strength of the alcohol, individual preferences, and the specific dish being consumed.
While beer and other alcoholic beverages can provide temporary relief or enhance the overall dining experience with spicy food, they generally do not reduce the spiciness itself. Water, dairy products like milk, or starchy foods like rice or bread are more effective for mitigating the heat of spicy dishes.
What Will Reduce The Spiciness Of Foods
There are a number of ways you can help to minimize the spiciness of foods that you eat while consuming it:
- Drink milk or other milk-based products.
- Consume plain yogurt whether as a side dish or with some water added as a drink.
- Add starches to the food dish such as potatoes, bread and rice as they can help to minimize the effect of spiciness.
- Sip plain water if the above-mentioned options aren’t available.
Here’s a table of beverages and foods that are effective at counteracting the heat of spicy foods, ranked by their effectiveness, along with explanations for each:
Foods And Beverages That Will Counteract Spicy Foods
| Ranking | Beverage/Food | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dairy (e.g., Milk, Yogurt) | Dairy products contain casein, a protein that binds to and helps neutralize capsaicin, the compound responsible for spiciness. This provides significant relief from the burning sensation. |
| 2 | Starchy Foods (e.g., Rice, Bread) | Starchy foods can absorb some of the capsaicin and help reduce its presence in the mouth, providing relief from spiciness. |
| 3 | Citrus Fruits (e.g., Lemon, Lime) | Citrus fruits like lemon and lime contain citric acid, which can help neutralize the heat and provide a refreshing contrast to the spiciness. Think lemon water, for example. |
| 4 | Sugar or Sweet Foods (e.g., Sugar, Honey) | Sweet foods can provide temporary relief from spiciness by counteracting the heat with their sweetness, although the effect may not be long-lasting. |
| 5 | Cold Water | Cold water can rinse away some of the capsaicin, providing immediate relief, though it may not be as effective as dairy. |
| 6 | Coconut Milk | The fat content in coconut milk can help mitigate spiciness, offering relief and a mild sweetness to balance the heat. |
| 7 | Tomato-Based Sauces | Tomato-based sauces like marinara can help mellow spiciness due to their natural acidity and sweetness. |
| 8 | Cucumber | Cucumber’s high water content and mild flavor can provide a cooling effect and reduce the sensation of spiciness. |
| 9 | Avocado | Avocado’s creamy texture and healthy fats can help soothe the mouth and provide some relief from spiciness. |
These options can effectively counteract the heat of spicy foods by either binding to capsaicin, neutralizing it, or providing a cooling contrast to the spiciness. Dairy products, in particular, are known for their high efficacy in providing relief from spiciness due to the presence of casein, a capsaicin-binding protein.
Starchy foods and citrus fruits also work well to mitigate the heat, making them valuable additions to a spicy meal.
Starch Helps Counteract The Effects Of Spicy Foods
Adding foods like potatoes, rice and plain bread to spicy dishes can help to make eating these foods more enjoyable.
Starch can help to alleviate the sensation of spiciness in the mouth caused by spicy foods. This is because starch is a complex carbohydrate that has a cooling effect on the mouth, which can help to counteract the heat of the spicy food.
When you eat spicy foods, the capsaicin molecules in the food bind to receptors in your mouth that detect heat and pain. This causes the sensation of spiciness, which can be uncomfortable or even painful for some people.
However, starch can help to absorb and dilute the capsaicin molecules, which can reduce the intensity of the spiciness.
Final Thoughts
Overall, while soda and alcohol can be enjoyable beverages to consume, they are not particularly effective in reducing the spiciness of food. Instead, it’s best to stick to remedies like milk or yogurt, which can help to neutralize the capsaicin and provide some relief from the burning sensation.
Adding some starch to the spicy dishes can also help to reduce the effect of spicy foods.