Food history: How America (and the world) developed a taste for hot sauce and ‘spicy’ sweets

How did our tongues learn to love the heat of a chilli?Have you ever stopped to wonder why we humans actively seek out the 'pain' of a good chilli? This piece takes us on a delightful, slightly fiery journey through the history of how hot sauce and even spicy sweets captivated our collective palates. It’s a story not just of brands and Scoville units, but of cultural evolution and our curious, almost masochistic, relationship with flavour. It really gets at the heart of what it means to crave that particular kind of zing.A historical account of how hot sauce and spicy sweets developed a global following, with a particular focus on their evolution in America. It traces the rise of iconic brands, the influence of Mexican cuisine, and the integration of capsaicin into diverse products, from savory sauces to candies and beverages, noting ancient precedents for combining spice with sweetness.Read at source: Scroll.in