What do some people like about spicy foods?

Yummy, Texas Pete or Frank’s hot sauce, wasabi, horseradish, crushed red pepper flakes and Gochujang (Korean garlic and chili paste) !
All for taste; they don’t just burn, they add a favor too.

But how can you tell what the flavor IS under all the burn? Hot foods just kill my taste buds.

I don’t “burn” so bad that I can’t taste the food except Carolina Reaper!
I have habanero that I grew last summer in a cider vinegar, in my frig in a container for putting on cooked greens and other things!

Properly added hot spices provide aromatic undertone to the food. Hot for the sake of being hot is just showing off. Fresh jalapenos on a burrito give depth to the taste.

Hunan style dishes need the heat to cut through the oils and vinegar. Many originated for eating during hot weather, it aids in cooling the body.

For once I agree with @Tropical_Willie, it doesn’t hurt those of us who like it, it adds a zip or flavor.
I use Franks or another hot sauce on scrambled eggs, fried chicken, all kinds of things.
I adore the taste horseradish gives a Bloody Mary. I love spicy kimchi, salsa, etc…

It’s not a challenge to me, it’s like adding mustard to a ham sandwich, just a condiment.

Yep. It’s all about the flavor. @Dutchess_III – I suspect you might be eating food that is just too hot for you. When you get Indian food, specify “medium” rather than “hot”. Medium will likely be still tolerable for you, while adding necessary flavor that will do all kinds of fun things with your taste buds.

No, I don’t eat hot, period. The closest I come is jalapeno poppers. Rick is super meticulous about removing the seed and the spine in the peppers so there is only the faintest echo of spice. And man, I could eat those all day long!
I have never had Indian food.

@Dutchess_III: “I have never had Indian food.”

Dear lord. You and Rick now have plans for dinner tonight. You will not be disappointed!

Also related – please tell me you have had Thai food (also generally ordered with custom spiciness). If not, you have plans for tomorrow’s dinner too.

:D
We have Chinese nearby, but for Indian or Thai we’d probably have to go 60 miles.

What? Are you serious? Wow, well it’s definitely worth the drive. :)

Well, lemme go look…..

The taste.

@Dutchess_III Chaing Mai in Wichita! lol

I really love Thai and Indian both….I’m so hungry right now after all the spicy talk…lol

Right. That’s 50 miles away! But next time we’re there we will go . I PROMISE!

While, perhaps, not particularly “hot” by today’s standards, there is, in my view, very little that cannot be improved with a little Tobasco sauce. If there is a Heaven then there should be a special place there for Edmund McIlhenny for the gift he bestowed upon mankind.

I love spicy food. It tastes really good, and it realeases endorphins in the brain when you eat things like peppers.

I like chilies, horseradish, mustard, radishes, pickled vegetables, lemons, vinegar, onions and garlic.

The things I just mentioned are abundant in a well rounded vegetarian diet.

Many spices, and hot foods such as chilies, are laden with anti-inflamatory properties. Chilies added to tomato based salsas give you 4 great things: amazing flavor, anti-inflammatories, vitamin C, and lycopene.

I love Mexican food, Thai food, Indian food, chili, salsa, and most things with big flavor.

Here are a few of my favorite things:

Aloo Gobi (Indian potato and cauliflower curry): https://www.cookwithmanali.com/aloo-gobi/

Guajillo Salsa: https://40aprons.com/smoky-guajillo-salsa-recipe/

Pickled Jalapeños: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2015/06/ridiculously-easy-jalapeno-pickles.html

Chili Garlic Sauce: https://www.amazon.com/Huey-Fong-Chili-Garlic-Sauce/dp/B008YJ2322

Korean Gochujang (fermented red pepper paste): https://yummybazaar.com/products/hot-pepper-paste-gochujang-by-haechandle-1-1-lbs

Indian Brinjal Pickle: https://www.pataksusa.com/product/brinjal-eggplant-pickle

Smoked Paprika: https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/smoked-spanish-paprika/c-24/p-1159/pd-s

Spicy Thai Noodes: http://asmallsnippet.com/2011/03/spicy-thai-noodles.html

@Kardamom Hot coconut curry is my fave at Thai restaurants. And cold, raw veggie wraps with peanut dipping sauce. Yum!!

Some spicy food is just hot, but some is flavorful, some are both at varying levels. The different chilis do different things.

I think most people when they get accustomed to spicy food, when they are eating it, it’s almost addictive. Not seriously addictive, but you want more even though you might complain it’s “hot.”

Some people truly have bad reactions to spicy food. It’s more painful for them, or the taste isn’t appealing to them, or some people even have an allergic reaction and their tongue might swell a little (not to be played with).

The simple answer though is I like it because it tastes good. The same reason I like any food.

If you get a chance to eat Thai food, try something with peanut sauce.

When I first tried Thai, I had a salad with peanut sauce. I thought it would taste like peanut butter, but it doesn’t. One thing they add is mildly spicy chili oil, which helps to give it a flavor that makes it a tasty and exotic salad dressing.