If You Want To Tame Fiery Hot Sauce, Pair It With Watermelon
Some people like spicy food, while others tend to struggle a bit more with the prickly feeling in their mouths. If you're one of the latter people, it pays to have something to help calm down the fire in your mouth so you can keep enjoying your food.
Among the many foods that can help tame a super spicy hot sauce, one that tastes great and is perfect for warm weather, is watermelon. Watermelon is sweet, which offsets some of the salt and vinegar flavors in hot sauce, and its juicy and mild taste helps balance out the fiery heat.
Besides just tasting great, there's a scientific reason why watermelon is the perfect food to pair with hot sauce. Here's what's actually going on when you eat watermelon with hot sauce, as well as a couple of tasty recipes that pair watermelon with hot sauce and help balance out the spice.
The science behind why watermelon cools down spicy heat
When you eat spicy food, a molecule called capsaicin triggers a reaction in your mouth. This reaction causes your body to think that your mouth is physically hot, even though it's just a sensation. The result is that burning pain you feel when you've had just a little too much hot sauce.
To get rid of this spicy feeling, it helps to eat something cool and refreshing. Watermelon contains 92% water, which means it can help cool your body and, in this case, your mouth.
One thing to note is that although the water in watermelon can help flush your mouth out, it can also have an adverse effect. Fox News explains that when you drink water after eating spicy food, the fluid moves the capsaicin molecules around your mouth. This can wind up spreading the burning sensation and increasing discomfort. However, the coolness of the liquid can also offer some temporary relief, so it's a bit hit or miss.
How to pair watermelon with hot sauce
One way to pair watermelon with hot sauce is to make Sandia Loca. This dish hails from Mexico and is made of watermelon, lime juice, Tajin or chili seasoning, Japanese peanuts, tamarind candy, 1 cubed cucumber, ½ a cubed jicama, and ½ cup of chamoy. To make it, cut the watermelon in half and scoop the flesh into chunks. Add the chunks and other ingredients to a bowl, mix everything, and pop it back into your empty watermelon skin. That's all it takes!
Another recipe to enjoy is a spicy watermelon margarita. To make one, blend half a seedless watermelon until it forms a juice. Strain it into a jar and set it aside. Next, take a margarita glass and rub the rim with a lime. Then, dip it in a mix of salt and Tajin or chili powder to get a chili rim. From here, you're going to measure out 2 ounces of the previously prepared watermelon juice into a cocktail shaker, add 1½ ounces of tequila, ¾ ounces of lime juice, ½ ounce of orange juice, and ½ teaspoon of agave syrup. Fill the shaker with ice and shake for 30 seconds before straining it into your margarita glass. Finish off by garnishing the rim with a jalapeño slice, a lime wedge, or a watermelon cube.
Watermelon is an incredibly versatile fruit. It's an ideal way to cool down your mouth from hot sauces and is a great complement to spicy dishes — and drinks!