Words : Vijayalekshmi S

Chill out with Chillies:
       A Case for Hot Spices
       Without chillies the world will be so chilly...

‘Why should you put it (pepper/chilli) in the curries at all?’ My children ask me. ‘The world would have been better off without them’, my elder one fumed after she bit a piece of chilli in a Vada. I churned out a few dishes for her without any of the hot spices. ‘Not tasty as usual…’ she gets mellowed.

It’s a love-hate relationship with chillies. Sans chillies the world is so chilly.

Added in various quantities, these ‘hot’ spices impart taste and flavour to the food which indeed is very much pleasant. Spices in general, enhance the dishes; add fire to the food. But is it healthy to have them? The doubt is quite universal. It is generally believed that the spices are hard on the stomach. Too much fire can damage the lining of the intestines.

Chilli Chocolates!

But recent studies have given a boost to the hot spices. Hot is also healthy, they say! The chillies are rich in vitamins A and C, and consumed in small amounts would actually help digestion especially in the case of chocolates. Try a chilly after a Choco-Candy, it really helps! Chilli chocolates have become quite the thing in Australia and the Americas.

Medicinal value of chilli has found it a place as a counter irritant for Neuralgia and Rheumatic disorders. Chilli stimulates the secretion of endorphin, the natural painkiller and hence it is used in pain balms and vaporubs. And, an enzyme derived from chilli is used in the treatment of certain kind of cancers. These are only a few of the therapeutic powers possessed by chilli... There are a lot more.

There is no need to elaborate on the values of pepper, the King of Spices. In India, it is an indispensable ingredient in the traditional system of treatment of a host of illnesses. Peppers are a good source of most B vitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high in potassium and rich in magnesium and iron. Their high vitamin C content can increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal. Chillies and peppers are not the only hotties which can keep you healthy. Turmeric, garlic, and ginger fall in the same line.

Columbus’ Discovery of Chilli

Pepper is indigenous to India. But what about chilli, so universally used in Indian kitchens? An Indian curry without chilli is nothing short of blasphemy. Still it seems that chilli was introduced to the country only towards the beginning of the 16th century. Chilli is a native of America and it was Columbus who discovered it for the rest of the world. It came to the East with the Portuguese and found favour there because it was cheap and easy to grow it in the hot and humid conditions. In Europe, pepper retained its favoured position. But India’s spicy palate wholeheartedly welcomed the newcomer and gave chilli a nesting place. India is now its biggest exporter and the consumption rate also seems to be the highest in the country.

Why are the Tropics so Hot?

Now, a very pertinent doubt that almost everybody seems to have. Why do countries with the warmest climate have the spiciest of foods? And those of colder regions subscribe to a bland variety? A research conducted by Paul Sherman, a professor of Neurobiology and Behaviour, has revealed that spicy food is less likely to make the people who live in hot climates sick because spices are natural antimicrobials. They can kill or hamper the growth of food-borne pathogens and parasites. The people, who felt better after eating food which had spices in them, came to like them. Meat dishes for instance, are always the spiciest of the lot, because, meat does not have any protection against pathogens and parasites. In cooler regions, in contrast, the cold would delay the germ growth in meat, making the use of spices unnecessary.

It also seems that spicy food cools you off in hot weather conditions and raises metabolism (hot spices make you thirsty, and you tend to drink more liquids) - an additional benefit that helps one to keep the weight down.

So, better shed those inhibitions about chillies. The spices, the hot ones in particular, do not just enhance our food by lending their pleasant distinctive pungency and aroma. They also keep us healthy and fit when used in moderate quantities. Be moderate, because too much of them can chillingly upset your stomach!

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