A life-saving tip to deal with the fire of chili in your mouth
- Kebina the Maninka Sista
- Dec 23, 2015
- 2 min read
In many African households, eating spicy is the standard.At Sista Tweet, we understand this may not be everybody's standard so we decided to give you, our valued member, a little preview of our articles before our big website launch.So from us to you, here are some quick tips on how to survive a chili attack.
The heat is on!
You have been invited to an African household, the cook forgot that spicy isn’t your thing. You only know salt and pepper. When you take your first bite, there's a fire in your mouth. Someone please call 911. But you don’t. You know your Spicy Food Etiquette.
So concretely, what are you supposed to do?
Forget all about water and scream for your mammal’s milk like a desperate veal: Milk (or cream) is so far the best natural cure to quench a fire caused by eating a spicy meal. To explain briefly, it is capsaicin, the active ingredient in chilli pepper that makes your taste buds go on fire when you chomp on chilli. Capsaicin doesn’t dissolve in water so drinking it won’t do anything to relieve the pain. On the other hand, milk contains a substance called casein, which quickly washes away capsaicin.
Capsaicin also dissolves in vegetable oils. So, if there is no milk around, your second best bet would be to rush to the kitchen and gulp some of your host’s cooking oil until your belly is big like there is a watermelon sitting in your shirt. And after you have survived the chilli assault, get ready to be seized by a cholesterol attack! I am just joking. Whether milk or vegetable oil is your savior that day, you don’t need to consume a whole lot of it. A few tablespoons should do and each should be left in your mouth for at least 30 seconds for the chemistry to be effective quickly.
If all else fails, time heals it all
If you can’t find any of these, stop stressing like a prepubescent girl and eat some carb to occupy your mouth. Or just wait for the five worst minutes of your life to pass until you’re free again.
You are welcome.
About the author - Kebina, The Maninka Sista
Kebina is a Sista Tweet blogger, co-creator, finance coordinator, Social Media Manager and Marketing Manager.
She's a fashion lover, a fan of African traditions and personal finance advocate. When she's not on Sista Tweet or busy at her day job, she takes on a passion for traditional maninka music.
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