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Dave!
Pyro-Man at Pyropeppers sent me to you with this question because he says that you are the "Pope of Peppers." We have noticed that some sauces are hot on the front of the tongue while others are hot on the back of the tongue. Pyroman says he thinks it’s got something to do with the kind of pepper involved. Can you clear up this mystery?
Thanks,
John
John:
There is a simple answer. The heat in chile is caused by a number of related compounds called capsaicinoids. Each of these compounds affects a different part of the mouth. Various chiles have more of one compound than another, so they "attack" different parts of the mouth or tongue. So, sauces made with certain chiles are the same way. For more information of capsacinoids, see: http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/capsaicin.asp
–Dave
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