3 ms·

I think it is more like getting used to spice. In the 1980s it used to be often repeated in the US that Mexican, Thai, and Indian food was ridiculously spiced a

I think it is more like getting used to spice. In the 1980s it used to be often repeated in the US that Mexican, Thai, and Indian food was ridiculously spiced and that there was no flavor except peppers and that the only reason to eat these dishes was to prove that you could take it. But eventually a lot of even US people developed palettes used to spice and could appreciate that there is a reason these dishes have a lot of spice. It's the same with hops.

beat 10y ago
Meh. There's a difference between a complex flavor that happens to be spicy, and a mere heat bomb. Take a Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich, for example. That's a heat bomb. It's awful, but it's very spicy. Meanwhile, two of my favorite Indian restaurants in town (well, one Indian, and one Trinidad) can serve most of their dishes with zero peppers - no heat, just flavor. Peppers can be added all the way up to gut-melting levels, of course. Beer is the same way. Complexity and bitterness are two different things, and you don't need a ton of bitterness to get the complexity.