18 Oct 10 Interesting Spice Facts you probably didn’t know

1. CHIPOTLE and JALAPENO PEPPERS are the SAME PLANT.  

        The two spicy peppers are known for having their own distinct tastes, but that’s a result of how they’re treated after being harvested. Chipotle peppers are really just red jalapenos that have been smoke-dried. 

2. Eat PEPPER if you have a STUFFY NOSE 

         Capsaicin can also help unblock your sinuses by    keeping your mucous thin, thus lowering your chances of a sinus infection. If you are not allergic to them,a spicy pepper can help open things up and relieve congestion.  

3. A BAY LEAF inside food storage containers can keep ants from invading as they do not like the spice. 

4. Spices can be used as a NATURAL PRESERVATIVE. They can slow or even prevent food spoilage in some cases. This can also help preserve the nutritional content in food. 

5. One of the most expensive spices in the world is saffron. One gram of Saffron requires 100 stigma of flower’s to be harvested by hand. 

6. Used sparingly, spices derived from seeds DO NOT add a lot of calories, even if they tend to be high in fat, carbohydrates, and protein. 

7. The Scoville scale was created by Wilbur Scoville. It measures the heat of a chile.  

The hottest chile known to exist for sale is the Carolina Reaper which measures 2.2 million on the Scoville Scale. 

8. Trinidad Moruga Scorpion chili, the world’s hottest chili pepper can burn its way through protective latex gloves. 

9. Turmeric powder has been surprisingly effective against Alzheimer’s symptoms in multiple studies, and currently out-performs any known Alzheimer’s drug.  

10. Some people greatly dislike the herb coriander, saying that it smells like soap and tastes like crushed bugs. This reaction has been linked to a particular set of genes in some people. 

11. Despite being synonymous with blandness, vanilla is one of the most complex spices in the world and the second most expensive, next to Saffron.  

12. Women are subconsciously attracted to the scent of black licorice.