Why do spicy foods tasts hot and minty foods taste cold? Discover the importance of chemistry in everyday eating experiences

Why do spicy foods tasts hot and minty foods taste cold? Edible Experiments provides a wealth of ideas based on chemistry and food to engage students and stimulate thinking about the relevance of chemistry.

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Additional information

All tasting activities should take place outside of science labs, and there should be careful checking for allergies in all participants.

For the chilli tasting, remember that some people may not have experienced chillies before or may be more susceptible. Only a mild chilli sauce should be used and it should be tested first. Raw chillies should not be used because of the great variation in heat in different parts of the fruit.

Part of our Edible Experiments series.

Acknowledgements

This resource was produced by Dr Joanna Buckley, University of Sheffield. It is also hosted on the University of Sheffield website.

Copyright University of Sheffield.

Edible experiments

logo for edible experiments showing cartoon foods in flasks and test tubes

Discover the importance of chemistry in everyday eating experiences with this collection of edible experiments.