Spare a thought for my taste buds!
“For thousands of years, humans have taken a masochistic pleasure from adding chilli to their food”
Burning…tingling…flaming…these are all terms that could be used to describe your typical Sri Lankan food served in most eateries nowadays. When we relocate to Western-culture countries, we love to lament on how ‘bland’ their food is and demonstrate our tolerance towards copious amounts of chilli. It’s a definite flex for us. But is that a good thing? Is our love affair with capsaicin-laced food really that good, or even healthy?
Eaten in moderation, the active ingredient that gives chilli its fiery heat, capsaicin is actually pretty good. A quick trawl online reveals health benefits that include improving metabolism, heart health, immune system boosting and even blood sugar control. But there’s a key word in there – MODERATION. Exceeding this (the ideal amount of which varies by individual) can cause plenty of digestive distress, from general discomfort all the way to ulcers and long-term gut issues. But do we Sri Lankans eat it in moderation? The answer would be a fervent “h*ll no!”
Eating too much spiciness can affect the stomach. The symptoms of such conditions can be easily recognised, such as acid reflux, a burning sensation in the stomach or even causing gastric reflux. Additionally, the stronger the spiciness, the more severe the condition of gastric-duodenal ulcers becomes.
When I was a child, growing up in the Nineties and Two Thousands, my spiciest memories came from a kade (grocery shop)-purchased buth packet (rice and curry pack). Here, the spice level was pretty potent, and you knew what you were getting into the moment you took that first bite. But it was also balanced. There was fluffy white rice to neutralize the heat that would typically come from the meat or fish curry, as well as one or two of the vegetables. The other vegetables or pulses would be deliberately mild, ensuring that you didn’t need to drink water between every bite. Oh, and another source of ‘food heat’ could be found in a Chinese restaurant, resting on the table with the proud name of ‘Chillie Paste’. You’d add it to your fried rice if you wanted a kick – if not, you’d leave it entirely alone. And, talking of Chinese restaurants, I recently ordered a chicken and seafood fried rice from my favourite chain and enjoyed a free colonic irrigation the very next day.
Now, it seems like everything is laced with chilli. Buy a rice packet nowadays and everything save for the rice is tongue-tingling, but if the gravy has permeated well into the rice, well, there’s no salvation. You’ll need to drink some water (or even a sweet, cold drink) between every bite. The same goes for your fancy fried rice, where it seems like the chilli paste is mixed into the rice at the point of preparation. Even your typical burger has some level of chilli mixed within the meat patty, plus some chilli or hot sauce thrown in for good measure.
And it’s not just roadside eateries or street food shops that are doing this. Visit a hotel buffet and you’ll find that even traditionally mild Western dishes have been “Sri Lankanized”. Things that shouldn’t even be associated with chilli have been literally doused in it.
Personally, I feel that Sri Lanka is losing its rich culinary diversity, in favour of sheer ‘heat’ and nothing else. It’s like a firecracker – a loud, momentary noise and almost nothing worthwhile after that. And that’s not a good thing. So, perhaps it’s time that you undertook a comprehensive ‘taste audit’ of your hotel or restaurant’s food and find out if it needs salvation.
Ashraaq Wahab- Director of Marketing and Technical Hospitality Sri Lanka, Automotive Journalist, Marketer, Photographer and Writer, who enjoys penning his thoughts, insights and ideas on a variety of topics.
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