You know the feeling – your ears start to warm up, your tongue goes numb, you start sweating and taking deep breaths. You've just eaten something spicy knowing it would be painful, and, yet, you chose to do it anyway. Are humans just masochistic, or is there something else going on? The answer lies in both science and history.

你知道那种感觉——你的耳朵开始变暖，你的舌头变得麻木，你开始出汗并深呼吸。你刚刚吃了一些辛辣的东西，知道它会很痛，但你还是选择了这样做。人类只是受虐狂，还是另有原因？答案在于科学和历史。

Let's start with the science. Spicy isn't actually a taste like salty, sweet, sour and bitter – it’s a sensation. This sensation is triggered by a chemical compound found in chilli peppers called 'capsaicin'. When we eat foods containing capsaicin, our bodies are tricked into thinking the temperature is actually rising. In trying to temper the burning sensation, our bodies release endorphins which control pain and, at the same time, give a feeling of pleasure – like painkillers.

让我们从科学开始。辣实际上不是咸、甜、酸、苦那样的味道——它是一种感觉。这种感觉是由辣椒中发现的一种叫做“辣椒素”的化合物引发的。当我们吃含有辣椒素的食物时，我们的身体会误以为温度实际上正在升高。为了缓和灼烧感，我们的身体会释放内啡肽来控制疼痛，同时给人一种愉悦的感觉——就像止痛药一样。

This is what is happening chemically, but there is also a conscious side to choosing spicy food. Dr Tamara Rosenbaum, Cognitive Neuroscientist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, explains in an interview with the BBC that this is because we are rational beings – we know that the burning sensation of chilli does not physically harm us. Furthermore, we derive pleasure from the other ingredients chilli is generally cooked and eaten with – including fat, sugar and salt. So – like skydiving – eating chilli is a form of thrill-seeking or 'benign masochism', where we get pleasure from a seemingly negative sensation.

这就是化学反应，但选择辛辣食物也有意识的一面。墨西哥国立自治大学认知神经科学家 Tamara Rosenbaum 博士在接受 BBC 采访时解释说，这是因为我们是理性的人——我们知道辣椒的灼烧感不会对我们造成身体伤害。此外，我们从辣椒通常与其他配料一起烹调和食用中获得乐趣——包括脂肪、糖和盐。所以——就像跳伞一样——吃辣椒是一种寻求刺激或“良性受虐”的形式，我们从看似消极的感觉中获得快乐。

This masochistic relationship with capsaicin has been a long one, starting in the Andes of South America, where chilli peppers originate. Humans were one of the few mammals on Earth that developed a taste for capsaicin so, archaeological evidence suggests, they started cultivating chilli peppers about six thousand years ago. Human intervention changed the chilli pepper to suit human tastes and needs – including the pepper's colour, size and capsaicin content – helping to explain the many different types of chilli peppers now available.

这种与辣椒素的受虐关系由来已久，始于南美洲的安第斯山脉，那里是辣椒的发源地。人类是地球上为数不多的对辣椒素产生兴趣的哺乳动物之一，因此，考古证据表明，人类大约在 6000 年前就开始种植辣椒。人为干预改变了辣椒以适应人类口味和需求——包括辣椒的颜色、大小和辣椒素含量——这有助于解释现在有许多不同类型的辣椒。

Fast-forward to today, and our love affair with the chilli pepper is going strong. We eat around 57.3 million tons of peppers globally each year, and chilli is a key ingredient in traditional dishes from Mexico to Korea. Maybe we are masochistic after all.

快进到今天，我们对辣椒的热爱越来越强烈。我们每年在全球食用约 5730 万吨辣椒，辣椒是从墨西哥到韩国的传统菜肴中的关键成分。也许我们毕竟是受虐狂。

词汇表

go numb 发麻
masochistic 自讨苦吃的，自找罪受的
taste 味道
sour 酸的
bitter 苦的
sensation 感觉
trigger 引发，触发
chemical compound 化合物
capsaicin 辣椒素
contain 含有
trick 使产生错觉
temper 使缓和
release 释放
endorphin 内啡肽
conscious 有意的
rational being 理性的动物
derive 获得，得到
thrill-seeking 寻求刺激的
benign masochism 良性自虐，从不适中得到享受
develop a taste for 养成吃…的习惯
cultivate 种植
intervention 干预
content 含量
going strong 依旧强烈