‘Swicy,’ the combination of sweet and spicy, was a word heard all throughout the Summer Fancy Food Show, as it continues to be one of the top flavor trends the food industry is tracking.
Chilies get their heat from capsicum, a crystalline chemical compound that stimulates nerve endings in the mouth and skin. Other forms of “heat” include allyl isothiocyanate, a compound found in mustard, horseradish and wasabi, and gingerol, the aromatic in ginger root.