I recently watched a Netflix episode of Sex Education where a character accidentally uses chili crisp oil as lubricant.
Funny enough, imagining it nearly knocked me out. As a native of India, people think I like spicy food, but this is untrue.
I always tell my aunts to go easy on the chiles when I visit because I want to live. I use chiles in my cooking, but moderately.
I like enough heat to feel it, but not so much that my ears ring and my eyes and nose look like a broken faucet.
Chiles are diverse, with green, red, yellow, and orange hues, aromas, and heat levels. Despite being careful with the spice, I love these spicy berries (yes, they're fruits) because they do so much.
Chiles are associated with Indian and other South Asian cuisines, but they originated in Mesoamerica and were brought to the East by European colonizers.
They quickly became part of these cultures and essential to many local cuisines. Chiles are essential to Mexican cuisine.