What Happens When We Eat Chilis?
In What Happens When We Eat Chilis?, presenter Cherry Healey visits the University of Sheffield to learn what makes chilis hot and how our mouths respond. Cherry conducts an impromptu experiment. Learn which drink can cut the heat and how. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Inside the Factory, a series that takes viewers behind the scenes in the factories that make our favorite products.
Lesson Express
Q: How does Cherry describe eating chili? Have you eaten chili? What did it taste like?
A: She says it feels like her mouth is on fire. Student responses will vary.
Q: What makes the chilis taste so hot in your mouth?
A: A chemical in the chilis (capsaicin) bonds to receptors in your mouth that sense heat and create the sensation of heat in your mouth.
Q: How did Cherry identify the drink that was best at reducing the heat after eating chilis?
A: She had people drink one drink and then rate their pain before and after. She then calculated the average for each drink.
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In Chili Production in India, presenter Cherry Healey visits Guntur, India, to explore a chili farm and factory. Her eyes are watering, but that doesn’t stop her from helping pick, process, and grind the chili plants into powder. Learn how chili flakes and powder are made, and how India supplies the entire world with chili. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Inside the Factory, a series that takes viewers behind the scenes in the factories that make our favorite products.
In Chili Production in India, presenter Cherry Healey visits Guntur, India, to explore a chili farm and factory. Her eyes are watering, but that doesn’t stop her from helping pick, process, and grind the chili plants into powder. Learn how chili flakes and powder are made, and how India supplies the entire world with chili. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Inside the Factory, a series that takes viewers behind the scenes in the factories that make our favorite products.