38:
96:
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253:, including, for example, the strong flavor of some tomatoes. In other words, pungency always refers to a very strong taste whereas piquancy refers to any spices and foods that are "agreeably stimulating to the palate", in other words to food that is spicy in the general sense of "well-spiced".
407:
Unlike most other mammals, however, many humans favor pungent and spicy food (including traditionally spicy regional cuisines). Multiple reasons for that have been proposed. The thrill-seeking theory suggests that some people are attracted to spicy taste due to intense sensations or thrills.
291:
Pungency is not considered a taste in the technical sense because it is carried to the brain by a different set of nerves. While taste nerves are activated when consuming foods like chili peppers, the sensation commonly interpreted as "hot" results from the stimulation of
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fibers in the mouth. Many parts of the body with exposed membranes that lack taste receptors (such as the nasal cavity, genitals, or a wound) produce a similar sensation of heat when exposed to pungent agents.
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207:. It is the preferred term by scientists as it eliminates the ambiguity arising from use of "hot", which can also refer to temperature, and "spicy", which can also refer to
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As the Oxford, Collins, and
Merriam-Webster dictionaries explain, "piquancy" can refer to mild pungency, that is, flavors and spices that are much less strong than
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through defecation (in birds, pepper seeds are not destroyed by consumption and digestion). It was found that birds do not feel pungency due to lack of
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931:
155:) is sometimes applied to foods with a lower degree of pungency that are "agreeably stimulating to the palate". Examples of piquant food include
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763:"Topical capsaicin for pain management: therapeutic potential and mechanisms of action of the new high-concentration capsaicin 8% patch"
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Tewksbury, J. J.; Reagan, K. M.; Machnicki, N. J.; Carlo, T. A.; Haak, D. C.; Penaloza, A. L. C.; Levey, D. J. (2008).
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Capsaicin evolved in peppers to deter particularly seed-eating rodents that destroy seeds by grinding, thwarting their
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According to the antimicrobial theory, general spices have been added to foods in hot climates due to
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can be both hot (out of the oven) and spicy (due to the common inclusion of spices such as
203:. However, in scientific speech, it refers specifically to the "hot" or "spicy" quality of
172:
882:"Chili pepper preference development and its impact on dietary intake: A narrative review"
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properties of related substances. The only other mammal known to consume pungent food is
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is pungent, yet it is not naturally accompanied by a hot temperature or spices.
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579:. Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University. 2006. Archived from
547:. Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University. 2006. Archived from
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plays an important role in a diverse range of cuisines across the world.
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In colloquial speech, the term "pungency" can refer to any strong, sharp
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Pungency is often quantified in scales that range from mild to hot. The
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Haak, D. C.; McGinnis, L. A.; Levey, D. J.; Tewksbury, J. J. (2011).
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947:"Molecular mechanism of the tree shrew's insensitivity to spiciness"
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Emily
Siebert, Soo-Yeun Lee, Melissa Pflugh Prescott (14 Dec 2022).
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together with normal taste reception. The pungent feeling caused by
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119:. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term
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is caused by activation of the heat thermo- and chemosensitive
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738:. PubChem, US National Library of Medicine. 29 April 2023.
163:. The primary substances responsible for pungent taste are
147:
86:
688:"Why are not all chilies hot? A trade-off limits pungency"
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Mildly pungent or sour foods may be referred to as tangy.
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can cause a burning or tingling sensation by inducing a
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Proceedings of the Royal
Society B: Biological Sciences
103:) refers to the taste of food commonly referred to as
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Joshua J. Tewksbury, Gary P. Nabhan (26 July 2001).
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396:, while at the same allowing birds to eat them and
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481:"Evolutionary ecology of pungency in wild chilies"
300:The pungent sensation provided by chili peppers,
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634:. Collins English Dictionary. February 3, 2014.
944:
485:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
823:"Directed deterrence by capsaicin in chillies"
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930:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
30:"Spicy" redirects here. For other uses, see
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661:"Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "Pungent""
606:"Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "Piquant""
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761:Anand, P.; Bley, K. (October 2011).
380:. The pungency of chilies may be an
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24:
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742:from the original on 12 June 2018
41:A display of hot peppers and the
945:Various authors (17 July 2018).
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1206:Characteristics of cheese
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315:Pungent substances, like
268:measures the pungency of
115:, found in foods such as
384:to microbial pathogens.
287:: some pungent, some not
663:. Merriam-webster.com.
608:. Merriam-webster.com.
506:10.1073/pnas.0802691105
338:Pungency is sensed via
283:A display of spices in
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886:Frontiers in Nutrition
704:10.1098/rspb.2011.2091
304:and other spices like
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53:
32:Spicy (disambiguation)
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40:
27:Sharp smell or flavor
359:allyl isothiocyanate
173:allyl isothiocyanate
45:at a supermarket in
698:(1735): 2012–2017.
586:on October 16, 2012
554:on October 16, 2012
542:"Chile Terminology"
497:2008PNAS..10511808T
491:(33): 11808–11811.
242:. Conversely, pure
779:10.1093/bja/aer260
414:northern treeshrew
388:Favoring by humans
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54:
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835:(6845): 403–404.
382:adaptive response
346:, capsaicin, and
238:), but it is not
171:(in peppers) and
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669:. Retrieved
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614:. Retrieved
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588:. Retrieved
581:the original
574:"Chile Heat"
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556:. Retrieved
549:the original
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402:TRP channels
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340:chemesthesis
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302:black pepper
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1139:Supertaster
1103:Hypergeusia
1067:Soft palate
736:"Capsaicin"
671:February 7,
642:February 7,
616:February 7,
438:Food portal
394:germination
378:nociceptors
355:stimulation
310:horseradish
216:pumpkin pie
191:Terminology
1190:Categories
1144:Tongue map
1119:Aftertaste
1098:Hypogeusia
1057:Epiglottis
1021:Bitterness
958:31 January
862:31 January
632:"Pungency"
462:References
369:including
324:analgesics
285:Guadeloupe
1196:Gustation
1093:Dysgeusia
1081:Gustology
1036:Sweetness
1026:Saltiness
787:0007-0912
334:Mechanism
317:capsaicin
274:capsaicin
244:capsaicin
165:capsaicin
105:spiciness
1153:See also
1129:Pungency
1031:Sourness
918:36590220
849:11473305
805:21852280
740:Archived
722:22189403
665:Archived
636:Archived
610:Archived
525:18695236
424:See also
398:disperse
344:piperine
228:allspice
220:cinnamon
169:piperine
121:piquancy
57:Pungency
1165:Hearing
1088:Ageusia
1062:Pharynx
1050:Anatomy
909:9795841
857:4389051
796:3169333
713:3311884
516:2575311
493:Bibcode
363:allicin
321:topical
240:pungent
181:mustard
157:mustard
109:hotness
47:Houston
1072:Tongue
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828:Nature
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306:ginger
236:cloves
234:, and
224:nutmeg
209:spices
201:flavor
185:wasabi
177:radish
1175:Touch
1170:Smell
1160:Sight
1112:Other
1041:Umami
1005:Taste
853:S2CID
746:2 May
584:(PDF)
577:(PDF)
552:(PDF)
545:(PDF)
375:TRPA1
371:TRPV1
197:smell
161:curry
93:
51:Texas
18:Spicy
1201:Pain
960:2024
932:link
914:PMID
864:2024
845:PMID
801:PMID
783:ISSN
748:2023
718:PMID
673:2014
644:2014
618:2014
592:2012
560:2012
521:PMID
373:and
326:and
308:and
260:Uses
232:mace
183:and
175:(in
159:and
113:heat
904:PMC
894:doi
837:doi
833:412
791:PMC
775:doi
771:107
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700:doi
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