This morning I was rummaging through my spice cabinet looking for cardamom to add to my coffee, when I dropped a container of saffron. The howaretheythisexpensive threads scattered (saved by the 5 second rule, obviously), but suddenly I wasn't in my Upper West Side kitchen anymore—it was two summers ago and I was in Provence, making a bouillabaisse to surprise my best friend, Susan.

I’d never prepared one before and the rouille was a bit runny, but memories of culinary playtime in that kitchen came rushing back. Sitting at the table to feast. Dipping the baguette in the stew. The fish I got from the market. The journey to the far supermarche in the July heat. How hungry we were after the long day of travel. Catching up as if no time had passed. Eating the leftovers for the next three days.  

It got me thinking about spice in all its forms. The amount of history that’s tied up in spices and how many memories the smell of them can hold. But also how eating things that are really hot can give you a god complex and why spicy isn't one of the 5 tastes when it describes so many categories of food.

Side note: I have been eyeing apothecary cabinets on Etsy recently because I think they are the absolute chicest way to store spices!

This newsletter is dedicated to all things spices and spicy. Grab a glass of milk. 

Also, spices are often immediately categorized as a flavor, and somewhat discounted as a scent, but cinnamon, cardamom, and sometimes saffron (if it’s not too too strong) are incredibly aromatic, deep, beautiful smells as well and I linked three of my fave products that use them.

The Science of Spice: Why Your Mouth Is On Fire

First things first, the reason that spicy isn’t a taste is because it is actually a sensation caused by pain receptors. 

Yes, when you say it hurts or it burns, you are literally referring to the pain receptors activated by a compound called capsaicin that's found in chili peppers.

When you eat something spicy, capsaicin binds to TRPV1 receptors in your mouth. These receptors are usually activated by heat and acid, which is why your brain interprets the sensation as "hot." Your brain literally cannot tell the difference between "spicy" and "burning." That's why both hot sauce and hot soup make your nose run. The "burn" is actually a defense mechanism that backfired spectacularly because humans are weird and decided pain can be fun.

Birds don't have TRPV1 receptors, which is why they can eat spicy peppers without breaking a sweat. This allows them to spread chili seeds far and wide, helping the plants reproduce. 

Anyway, unlike the way that sourness is measured by pH just like all other acidic things, spice has its own ranking system that’s essentially based on how much pain you’re in. In 1912, Wilbur Scoville created the Scoville Scale:

- Bell Pepper: 0 SHU (Scoville Heat Units)

- Banana Pepper: 100-500 SHU

- Jalapeño: 2,500-8,000 SHU

- Habanero: 100,000-350,000 SHU

- Ghost Pepper: ~1,000,000 SHU

- Carolina Reaper: ~1,500,000+ SHU

Check out this Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce Recipe on the Pepper App that you can make at home as a DIY holiday gift for your friends and family. They’ll cry tears of joy…probably.

- Law Enforcement Grade Pepper Spray: 1,500,000-3,000,000 SHU

Spice Around the World: A Global Heat Map

Ok but if the Scoville scale was literally made to measure pain, does that mean that people who like spicy foods are literally masochists? 

Kind of, but not really. The neuroscience of spice is fascinating and we’ll get into it in the next section, but there are other reasons behind why cuisines tend to get spicier the closer you get to the equator.

• One is the antimicrobial nature of spices. In hotter climates where food spoils quickly, spices help preserve food and mask the taste of not-so-fresh meat.

• Another has to do with thermoregulation. Eating spicy food makes you sweat, which cools you down.

• And finally, availability. Many spices grow better in tropical climates, making them more readily available.

  TLDR: climate and convenience. 

The Neuroscience of Spice: Why We Love the Burn

Back to the masochism part though—Why would people voluntarily eat food that causes pain? It actually is the same reason that people run or like getting tattoos.  

When you eat spicy food, your body releases endorphins and dopamine. Those are the same feel-good chemicals released when you’re running and experiencing a runners high, when you’re having sex, and when you fall in love. 

The crazy part is that because the chemicals activated are the same, that means that your body reacts the same way. So you know the sex hangover you feel after a really good session or the come down after a long run? The day after a spicy meal, you can actually experience a sort of come down. Your brain got used to that endorphin high, and now it's wondering where it went. 

How Spices Work

Ok, that’s all great about spicy things, but what about spices? Why does cinnamon make you think of your grandma and why did spilling saffron take me to the South of France? What’s happening in your brain there?

Spices also have some crazy neurological properties and a lot of them have to do with memory as opposed to endorphins. Essentially, your olfactory bulb (fancy word for nose) is directly connected to your amygdala (emotion central) and hippocampus (memory HQ). So while visual and auditory information has to take a scenic route through your brain, scents have got a fast pass. 

On top of the memory responses that spices can trigger, each spice also has specific volatile compounds that trigger responses in your brain:

• Cinnamon: Cinnamaldehyde (that warm, cozy feeling)

• Vanilla: Vanillin (comfort and sweetness)

• Black Pepper: Piperine (alertness and warmth)

• Turmeric: Curcumin (earthy warmth)

• Cardamom: Cineole (fresh, bright alertness)

These compounds don't just flavor your food—they're literally programming your brain to create emotional connections.

The Historical Spice Route

Spices are also essentially responsible for the entirety of the global economy. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the search for spices drove European exploration and colonization and the global spice trade was born. 

Fun facts about spices—

• Christopher Columbus was looking for a new route to the spice-rich Indies when he stumbled upon the Americas.

• Nutmeg was once worth more than Manhattan. The Dutch traded Manhattan for a nutmeg-producing island.

• Wars were fought over cloves.

• Ancient Romans used pepper as currency.

• The phrase "pepper something with" comes from when spices were so valuable people would sprinkle just a few grains at a time.

Spice in the Sky: Why Altitude Affects Flavor

Ever noticed that airplane food seems to lack flavor? Your ability to perceive flavors actually changes at altitude!

At high altitudes:

1. The air is drier, which dries out your nose and mouth, dulling your sense of taste.

2. The low air pressure numbs about a third of your taste buds.

3. The constant background noise affects your sense of taste

Airlines actually alter their food to compensate for these effects. They often add more seasoning or choose naturally flavorful foods like curries.