• Question: Why is spicy food not as spicy when it is cold?

    Asked by bump44ace to Min, Marcello, Katie, Israel, Aoife on 12 Nov 2019.
    • Photo: Min Yap

      Min Yap answered on 12 Nov 2019:

      Cold foods don’t stimulate taste buds as much warm foods, which is why spicy food probably tastes less spicy when it is cold. So when food is warm, our taste buds and other senses can experience and feel more of the spiciness of the food.

    • Photo: Aoife McHugh

      Aoife McHugh answered on 13 Nov 2019:

      Our sense of smell helps us taste food too. When food is warm, its scent travels further and we can smell it better. Before we ever taste it, the smell gets our taste buds ready, and our mouth watering. When it is cold, we can’t smell it as well, and are taste buds are not as prepared before we eat it.

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