What's that burning sensation? Chilli and mustard explained...

I used to always buy New Scientist magazine but slowly over the years replaced it with food mags, and more food mags. Something caught my attention in the first edition of the new year and I purchased a copy - my first for years.

Flicking yesterday I came across my favourite section, The Last Word were readers can write in and ask questions about "everyday phenomena". One particularly had me ah-ha-ing out loud...

Hot to Trot
Mustard and chillies are both hot, but the burning sensation
from a chilli stays in the mouth for ages while the sensation from hot mustard
disappears in a few seconds. Why is this?

Answer 1 (written in by another reader and edited by NS)
The chemical mainly responsible for the burning spice in
chilli peppers is capsaicin, a complicated organic compound that binds to
receptors in your mouth and throat, producing the desired (or dreaded)
sensation. Capsaicin is an oil, almost completely insoluble in water. This is why
you need a fat-containing substance like milk to wash it away - watery saliva
doesn't do the trick. On the other hand, the compound responsible for the hotness
of mustard (as well as horseradish and wasabi) is called allyl isothiocyanate.
This chemical is slightly water-soluble, and can be more readily washed away
into the stomach by saliva. Further, the chemical in mustard is more volatile
than capsaicin so it evaporates more readily, allowing its fumes to enter the
nasal passages (explaining why the burning sensation from mustard is often felt
in the nose). These fumes can be easily removed by breathing deeply, a useful
strategy if the sensation becomes overwhelming.

Another response also added this information about capsaicin
It is soluble, however, in alcohol, which raises the question: which came first, the lager or the vindaloo?

So to summarise...

If you are like me and love a chilli kick but can't deal with the elongated pain, drink beer, wine or if its really bad go for the vodka!
Now if I only knew that when I was in Thailand a few months ago, perhaps I would have been tempted by the Sang Som rum.