Great Brown Bears Love Hot Pepper smell

Some have heard that bear spray actually attracts bears?

Who would want to use something that does that?

I was under the impression that no mammal except humans like and love Chili Peppers in spite of its fiery nature. Just the day before , I posted something on these lines about Elephant's dislike for peppr smell.

I may be wrong about "All Mammals" . I was watching a documentry about Alaska today morning when a scientist was seen preparing his pepper spray canister to ward off bears. On researching more on line, I discovered a first person account by a knowledgable Bearologist (If I can call Tom Smith a scientist stationed at Anchorage Alsaka.) which informs a dummy like me that Bears actually were seen wallowing in the Hot pepper sprayed part of the earth even after five days.!! Is it because they associate heat of Hot peppers with the female heat or do they increase their chances of mating with the Pepper perfume?

We may never know the truth.

How touching !! (Pun Intended). Read a complete account here by Dr. Tom Smith PhD

Q: Who would want to use pepper spray if it attracts bears?

A: I published a paper in 1998 in the Wildlife Society Bulletin (Vol. 26: 92-94) demonstrating that some Alaskan brown bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) were attracted to bear pepper spray residues. I decided to conduct this work after I’d observed a bear vigorously rolling in pepper spray residues put down by a person who had hoped that the spray would repel bears from his floatplane tied to the beach. It hadn’t worked and his neoprene float covers were damaged. Now here I was watching a bear vigorously scent rub in the orangish stain on the beach. “What if this stuff actually attracted bears?” I began to worry, but not whether or not the spray worked as a bear deterrent but rather regarding their interest in residues on objects regardless of how they got there. I reflected on the fact that only days before I had shown a new field assistant how to use pepper spray... by discharging it just outside my field camp perimeter. It never occurred to me that the residue might prove troublesome. What if this residue actually attracted bears? Considering this further, I knew of people who had applied pepper spray to objects in the hopes of repelling bears from them. I even knew of a PhD bear research scientist who lectured on bear safety and had suggested that spray could be used in this manner to protect items that couldn’t be otherwise protected from curious bears. I felt I needed to further investigate because property and people could possibly be injured by this misuse of the product.

For this research I sprayed red pepper spray directly onto the ground then sat back and observed bears' reactions to it. Many bears were clearly attracted to spray residues, some vigorously head rubbing, back rolling, pawing and eating the soils tainted with spray. I also observed somebears responding to these sites for up to a 5 days after spray application. So not only were they attracted to it but for some time after it had been dispensed. So I published a short note hoping to warn others of the potential dangers associated with misuse of the product.

Some persons have concluded that because pepper spray was shown to elicit and hold a bear’s interest is ought not be used as a deterrent. Does this make any sense? Of course not. All it means is that these sprays should only be used as intended by their manufacturers: directly into the face of an aggressive bear. Other uses, such as applying it to objects in the hopes that the spray might have some sort of repellent effect would be an outright waste of the product, and given my findings, potentially dangerous. Even after noting that some red pepper spray deterrents have this attractive quality about them, I never questioned their use or effectiveness. I carry theses products in bear country, my field assistants carry them and they are effective.

Tom S. Smith, Ph.D.U.S. Geological SurveyAlaska Science Center - Biological Science Office1011 E. Tudor Rd., MS 701Anchorage, AK 99503Office: (907) 786-3456Fax: (907) 786-3636email: tom_smith@usgs.gov

Photograph taken with thanks from

chroniclesandexploits.com/1500MilestoAmerica.htm

Naga Jolokia Addict

Elephants and Bhut Jolokia are No Friends

One mammal that is highly allergic to Hotness of Chilli peppers is also the biggest land dwelling mammal. It also holds the record of having longest nose and also longest memory.

Yes, I am taling of MIGHTY ELEPHANTS.

Elephants are fearless animals and they stand their ground against any other animal of prey but when they come across Bhut Jolokia or other hot chili peppers, they raise their tails and run away as far as they can.

This fact was first discovered in Assam in India and quickly adopted by Africa and other countries people to ward of marauding hoards of elephants that destroyed crops and plantations.

Read the following stories from India and Africa.

Assam elephants are in for chilli shock

Rahul Karmakar, Hindustan TimesEmail AuthorGuwahati, November 14, 2007First Published: 00:27 IST(14/11/2007)

ELECTRIC FENCING has hardly proved a shocker for Assam's marauding elephants, so authorities have turned to a cheaper and hotter option. They are erecting rope fences dipped in chilli powder around paddy fields and plantations to reduce man-elephant conflicts.

The state Forest Department, in collaboration with WWF-India, has begun hot fencing using Bhot Jolokia in Balipara area of Sonitpur district. Bhot is the local term for anything of Bhutanese origin and Jolokia is the world's hottest chilli measuring 1,001,304 Scoville heat units nearly twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper it replaced in the record books in February.

We have begun work on this chilli-smeared rope fencing, Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain told the Assembly on Tuesday. These chillies are too hot even for the elephants, and we are banking on the success of this experiment to check man-animal conflicts.



Now we go to Africa for a similar story.

'Chilli brick' keeps elephants away

By Ed Stoddard

It has spiced up many a meal, but now the fiery chilli pepper is being used to cool an ancient feud between farmers and wild elephants in Africa.

In the Zambezi valley in southern Zambia, small-scale farmers are growing chilli peppers as a deterrent against elephants that raid their crops – and marketing the end result as an eco-friendly product.

“Elephants simply don't like the smell of chilli,” said Nina Gibson, project co-ordinator for the Elephant Pepper Development Trust.

'Elephants simply don't like the smell of chilli' The deterrents used are simpler to make than many chilli recipes, but probably have more kick.

“The farmers crush the chillies they grow and mix them with old engine oil. They smear that paste onto a simple string fence around their field, protecting their crops,” said Gibson.

Another approach involves mixing crushed, dried chillies with animal dung into a “chilli brick”.

These are burnt at night, carrying an extremely noxious smoke that will repel even the most ravenous pachyderm.

“Electric fences are clearly not an option for a small-scale farmer because of the costs, so they have to use other means to keep the elephants out,” said Gibson.

An extremely noxious smoke that will repel even the most ravenous pachyderm Eighty farmers are involved in the Zambezi Valley chilli project and they have an added incentive to grow the hot peppers – they can tap into the growing market of discerning consumers who want to buy “green products” that do not damage the environment.

From Kenya to Namibia, elephants and farmers are coming into closer contact as growing populations put pressure on land.

The animals can wipe out the annual harvests of entire villages with devastating consequences for the rural poor who often live on a knife-edge of survival.

Farmers crack whips, burn fires and beat drums to keep the animals out, but guarding their crops at night is dangerous, saps productivity and can leave them open to diseases like malaria.

Last month, Kenya began a massive operation to move 400 elephants from a crowded reserve on its Indian Ocean coast to protect the environment and reduce conflict with local people.

Elephants from Botswana sometimes thunder across the border into Namibia, trampling crops and sometimes even children.

“Human/wildlife conflicts are becoming more acute in Africa,” said Graeme Patterson of the World Conservation Society, which is based in the United States, one of the project's sponsors.

“Our belief is that unless you can resolve these conflicts, farmers will take things into their own hands. It's negative for people and wildlife,” he said.

The World Conservation Union – a body whose estimates on animal populations are among the most authoritative – said in June that elephant numbers in eastern and southern Africa were rising.

It said surveys showed elephant numbers in the two regions rose to 355 000 from 283 000 in the five years to 2002 – a growth rate of about 4,5 percent per year.

But human populations are also growing rapidly, stoking conflict with big animals and raising the stakes in the game to dangerous levels.

The Elephant Pepper Development Trust says farmers have resettled the Zambezi valley in large numbers in the last 20 years because of pressure on land elsewhere and they have found themselves competing with thousands of elephants.

Its chilli project aims to ease the tension, but the spin-off crops could also prove lucrative.

Three products have been launched under the label “Elephant Pepper” and have hit the shelves in South Africa, where the chillies grown in Zambezi are processed.

“Zambezi Red” is a sauce that claims to be “as hot as the valley from whence it comes”. A chilli jam and a chilli relish are also produced under the label. To drive the point home the labels proudly proclaim that “Elephants hate chilli”.

Turnover since March has only been around R250 000 but it is a start.

First tested in northern Zimbabwe, chilli deterrents are also used in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Laos and Thailand.

“We see a whole range of wildlife friendly products based on the concept that certain crops may be useful as barriers between humans and wildlife,” Patterson said.

Conservationists say the project is an innovative way to help subsistence farmers find markets for their cash crops while bringing some lasting peace between man and beast.



This article was originally published on page 7 of The Pretoria News on September 07, 2005

CHILLI...One spice, Many usages

CHILLIES...Spice, magic, supernatural powers, Myths and so on


Bolivian Lady...We thank Bolivia for gifting chili pepper to the world


Chili Pepper Traditions:

The Indians of the Cuna Islands off Panama tow chili peppers behind their boats to ward off sharks.

The Tarahumara Indians of Sonora, Mexico use the tiny chiltepins in curing ceremonies--not to rid someone of a current affliction, but to prevent maladies as a result of future witchcraft. Such witchcraft is caused by a sukurame sorcerer who uses a special bird called a disagiki as a pathogenic agent to transmit illness.

The sorcerer is the only one who can see the bird, which is no bigger than a finger tip but lives on meat and tortillas. It flies into houses crying ‘Sht! Sht!’ and then eats your food or defecates on you.

The only way to prevent its coming is to throw some Chiltepins into the air and eat some yourself. because the disagiki bird cannot stand chiles. This is where the common name of Bird Pepper comes from.

In Mexico the people are very fond of hot peppers. Their bodies get so thoroughly saturated with it, that if one of them happens to die on the prairie the vultures will not touch the body on account of its being so impregnated with the capsicum.

In the Ozarks and deep South of the United States, an African-American legend holds that in order for peppers to grow out and be hot, you have to be very angry when you plant them. The best peppers are said to be planted by a lunatic.

Chillies are one of the ingredients in the arrow poison of indigenous Bajak tribesmen of Borneo.

One of the commonest household uses of chile peppers in cultures all over the world is burning them as a fumigant for vermin ranging from bedbugs to rats. Since fumigation in ancient times was also believed to be protection against vampires and werewolves, we have a good introduction to the concept of the magical powers of peppers.

Chili Pepper Magic: To keep your mate faithful, buy two large, dried chili peppers, and tie them together with a red (passion) or pink (affection) ribbon. Place this beneath your pillow. It may also be added to love powders for lust.

Scattered around house, the acrid chili pepper is used to break spells. Because of its “bite,” chili pepper is also used to ‘curse’ others.

Naga Jolokia Addict

The story and Bolivian lady photograph taken with thanks from the net.

NO HORSE SENSE...THIS

CHILI PEPPERS AND HORSES DON'T GO TOGETHER

Equestrians suspended for chili pepper misuse

In a story that's straight out of this Monty Python skit, four equestrians have been suspended from Olympic show jumping for treating their horses with a banned derivative of chili pepper.

Combinations of horses and riders from Brazil, Germany, Ireland and Norway were all suspended after initial tests showed the presence of capsaicin, which is widely used in topical ointments for the treatment of minor horse injuries. The substance is banned at the Olympics because it can also serve as a mild stimulant.

The banned rider Tony Andre Hansen and his horse, Camiro, were part of the Norwegian show jumping team that captured a bronze medal on Monday. The Fédération Equestre International, the sport’s international governing body, deferred a decision on whether to revoke the bronze medal until after final test results were confirmed.

Naga Jolokia Addict-----

Adapted from Net with thanks. Picture from net with thanks

How Not To Eat Bhut Jolokia?

I know people who regularly eat bhut jolokias - the "ghost chili" now rated as the world's hottest pepper. They're nice people. I like them. They don't seem crazy.

Appearances are deceiving.

I ate an entire bhut jolokia the other night, sitting at my dining room table with an open beer and - on the advice of the experienced - a bowl of yogurt and a few slices of bread at the ready.

I had the strange fear that nothing would happen, that I had traveled halfway across India in search of a chili that would be no hotter than an apple. I thought I was prepared.

What followed was a gastronomic mugging.

I know, I know. You probably think I'm exaggerating, or maybe just inexperienced in the ways of chilis.

"I like hot peppers," you're saying to yourself, thinking of those times - you were probably in college, maybe your early 20s - when you'd had too much to drink and challenged a friend to a chili-pepper-eating contest. You slopped down one jalapeno after another, enjoying the way it battered your system.

I used to think like that too. But that was before my encounter the other night, when I took the first nibble from the end of a red vegetable barely two inches long and weighing little more than a sheet of paper.

"Not too bad," I said aloud to the empty room. My ignorance lasted about three seconds.

It was hot. Hotter than anything I'd ever eaten. My tongue burned, I began to cough.

I knew I'd have to eat quickly, or I wouldn't be able to finish it. So I took another bite, and chewed. Then another. I ate down to the stem. I swallowed.

It's not how bhut jolokias are normally eaten - most locals use them in sauces, or chew off tiny pieces between bites of their main course - but I figured I should get the full experience (Plus, let me add, one of my editors suggested this exercise in masochism: Thank you, Ken).

The full experience?

It was awful. My eyes watered uncontrollably and my nose ran. I felt like I was gargling with acid. My hands quivered. As the minutes passed, the pain grew worse.

I shoveled in yogurt: No relief. I chewed bread: Nothing. My head felt like it was expanding. My ears felt as if hot liquid was draining from them.

The experts say beer and water do no good at such times. Maybe that's true, but gulps of very cold beer were the only things that helped me - washing away the pain for a few blessed seconds.

Twenty minutes later, I had recovered enough to speak clearly. So I called my wife in New York, where she is on vacation with our children. She laughed at me.

A day later, my tongue felt as if it had been scrubbed with a wire brush. And a day after that, a friend made me a lunch flavored with bhut jolokias.

It was a traditional meal from Nagaland, the northeastern state along the Myanmar border where my friend was born, and where super-hot chilis are a part of life. There was diced chicken and hunks of pork and a cold stew of fermented tofu beans, all spiced with the chilis.

The food was simple, delicious. It was mild by the standards of Nagaland, just one bhut jolokia or so for each dish. I loved it.

I just hope she couldn't see that my eyes were again watering.

By Tim Sullivan,Associated Press

Published: Wednesday, August 1, 2007

World's Youngest Chilli Head at the age of 19 months

Chilli Boy Feels No Heat

By Ayanjit Sen BBC correspondent in Delhi

Bantainum acquired his taste aged 19 months

Little Bantainam Sunn, a boy of under three from the north-eastern Indian city of Shillong, has developed an unusual adult habit.

While his playmates hanker after chocolates, Bantainam prefers something a little more fiery - chilli peppers.

We often find him rummaging in shopping bags in the kitchen looking for chillis Jessica Sunn,mother For more than a year now he has snacked his way through 10 chillies a day with his meals without batting an eyelid, or shedding a tear.

Shillong's local variety of chilli, the Naga Jolokia, is thought to be the hottest in the world, and many adults are unable to stand the heat.

Bantainam, however, eats them by the handful.

His grandmother, Mrs Lilee Sunn, told the BBC that he acquired his unusual taste when his parents took him to a local restaurant.

"Bantainam just took three chillies from the table and munched them watched by his disbelieving parents,'' said Mrs Sunn.

She said despite all efforts to keep chillies away from him, he asks for them daily.

"Now, we have to keep a container full of chillies only for him."

Record-breaker?

Last year Japanese scientists said the Naga Jolokia was the world's fieriest chilli.

I don't like chillis at all, unlike my brother Manisha,sister They found it measured 855 Scoville units - nearly 50% hotter than its nearest rival, Mexico's Red Savina Habanero.

(actually this figure is wrong.. it is almost a million scoville Units which is 3 times hotter than Red Savina which is 570,000 SU.....NJ.ADDICT)

Bantainam's father, Augustine, said his son eats more chillies than chocolates or sweets, and still does not shed tears or show signs of any burning sensation inside his mouth.

He said he had taken his child to a local doctor who found him to be normal and healthy.

Bantainam's two older sisters have no interest in chillies at all, said Augustine, a caretaker at a Roman Catholic cemetery in Shillong.

Local community leaders are convinced the boy is one of a kind, and plan to ask the Guinness Book of World Records to send representatives to verify his singular habit.

Naga Jolokia Addict

Adapted from BBC News with thanks Tuesday 28th May 2002 UK

World's HOTTEST girls.!!!....Believe it or not.!!!

Little sisters love to chomp on chillies

Wednesday, September 24, 2008 15:46 IST

MONDARMONI (West Bengal): They are just five and seven years old, but it's not chocolates and chips that Joshna and Shanti are after. Both the sisters in this seaside village love to eat three kilos of green chillies each every day!

Shanti and Joshna, the daughters of fisherman Jatin Sadhu, are considered "miracle children" in their village, about 200 km from Kolkata.

"Shanti started having chillies when she was two years old and Joshna had her first chilli at the age of four. They never complain that the chillies are hot, nor do they ever develop a sore mouth. Every day they need 2-3 kg of chillies each," Jatin said.

"They chew on chillies as if they are having toffees and juicy fruits."

There's never a dearth of chillies, as Jatin's brother-in-law Arun Mondal is a chilli farmer.

"Often Arun takes my daughters to his chilli farm. One day he saw Shanti plucking chillies one after another and eating them. He thought the child would soon scream but no such thing happened. After that Shanti got addicted to chillies. Joshna too joined her sister soon," Jatin said.

Neighbours say the sisters are "blessed" and that is why they do not find the chillies hot.

"The Sadhu sisters are blessed. Else how can they do such a miracle every day!" wondered neighbour Laxmi Sadhukhan.

Jatin took the girls to a local doctor for a thorough checkup.

"But the doctor, Swapan Samadder, found them fit," Jatin said.

Samadder said the taste buds of the girls were apparently unable to distinguish anything hot.

"Their taste buds seem not to detect the taste of anything hot. But it's surprising that even their livers and other internal organs are not affected after eating so many chillies every day. It's a very rare case in medical science.

"Nevertheless, I have requested the father to keep his daughters away from chillies because I am sure in the long run it will affect their health," Samadder said.

Jatin said he did try to keep his daughters away from chillies.

"As a result my daughters stopped eating and started vomiting. Only after I gave them chillies did they become normal!"


With thanks from ,
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1192867

Naga Jolokia Addict.........

MARICH SAHASTRA NAMAVALI

Tribute To Chilli Peppers

Om Ganeshaaya Namah
Om Gurubhyo Namah
Om Anna Devatabhyo Namah

Friends,

For the first time ever in the history , I have composed and compiled one thousand names and attributes of the world's most loved spice which we know as "CHILLI'.

The compilation of the names has been done as in the same fashion as religious sanskrtit names of Gods and Goddesses have been compiled in Sanskrit Religious Literature.

I not only adore and love chilli peppers , I revear the wonderful spice. It is the greatest gift ever given by Latin American continent to India and the rest of the world.

I hope that people will appreciate my love for this wonderful spice.

Naga Jolokia Addict.........

Marich Gayatri Mantra

Om RaktavarNaaya Vidmahe,

TikshNa swadaaya Dhimahi

Tanno Mirchi Prachodayat

MEANING

We devote our thoughts to the blood red coloured chilli

we meditate upon Chilli which is fiery in taste

May the Chilli guide us(for health and taste) to the right path.

Atha: Hemant Trivedi Virachita Marich Sahastranamavali

Om Mariche Namah

Vaishwanaraya Namah

Raktavarnaya Namah

Agnaye Namah

Kshudhakaraye Namah

MEANING

I bow to Chilli pepper

which is igniter of fire in belly (hunger)

which is of blood red colour

which is Fire incarnate

which is Inducer of Hunger

Trisha vardhakaya namah

Raktashodhakaya Namah

Madhuprameha nashakaya Namah

Raktachap shaamakaya Namah

Udara Vrina Nashakaya Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

Increser of thirst

Purifier of blood

Destroyer of Diabetes

Reducer of blood pressure

Destroyer of stomach ulcers.

Basti Vrinaharaya Namah

Meda Nashakaya Namah

Kamapradiptakartre Namah

Tridosh haraye Namah

Ruchi vardhan kartre Namah

Meaning

I bow to,

Destroyer of prostrate cancer

Reducer of obesity

Enhancer of libido

Remover of three defects that are due to Gas, Bileand phlegm.

Enhancer of taste in food.

Suruchaye Namah

Diptaaya Namah

Pradiptaaya Namah

Dukh hartaaye Namah

Shiro vedana Haraye Namah

MEANING

I bow to

Enhancer of hunger

That which is burning

That which is in flames

That which removes pain.

That which removes headaches

Bahu Nama Dharine Namah

Bahuroopinye Namah

Raktamla Hartaye Namah

Jwalaye Namah.

Ayudhaaya Namah................................25

MEANING

I bow to,

That which has many names

That which has many shapes

That Which removes blood acidocys

That Which is like a flame

That Which serves as a weapon

Paataaldeshjaye Namah

Sarvatra priye Namah

Sarva priye Namah

Su Tamase Namah

Sarva Varnapriye Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

Chilli Which is born in American continent

Which is popular everywhere

Which is loved by all

which is HOT but good

which is loved by all classes of people

Sarvabhowma priye Namah

Rasottamaya Namah

Tikshna Rasakartre Namah

Ashrukartre Namah

Raktambaraya Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

One which is loved in any land

Which is best of the six tastes

Which is of hot taste

Which makes one cry

Which is adorned in red covering

Pitambaraya Namah

Garbhini priye Namah

Sukhadukha kartre Namah

Kimshuka priye Namah

Kantha mitraya Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

One which is adorned in orange covering

That Which is loved by pregnant women

That which gives happiness associated with pain

That Which is loved by Parrots

That which is a friend of singer's vocal cords

Keshakrishna kartre Namah

Roga Hartaye Namah

Asthishool shamakaya Namah

Udararoga haraye Namah

Kantha shuddhi kartre Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

One which blackens hair

Which removes diseases

which removes pains associated with bones (arthrities)

Which removes stomach ailments

which clears throat problems

Sukantha Datre Namah

Dirghayush Datre Namah

Sulabha Aushadhe Namah

Paramaushadhe Namah

Sarvakarshana Kartre Namah.......................50

MEANING

I bow to,

Giver of sweet voice

Giver of long life

That Which is cheap medicine

That which is supreme medicine

That Which attracts everyone by taste.

Sphoorti Daayakaya Namah

Aalasya Naashine Namah

Ashrudaayakaaya Namah

Kesha Mitraye Namah

Shramajeevi Mitraye Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

That Which gives alertness

That Which removes lazyness

That Which makes one cry

That Which is a friend of hair

That Which is a friend of Labourers

Shadrasottamaya Namah

Bhootgana Shatru Roopaye Namah

Durdrishti Nashakaya Namah

Dehasoukhya Daayakaya Namah

Divya Aushadh roopaye Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

That Which is best among six tastes

Enemy of evil spirits

Remover of effects due to evil eye

Giver of healthy body

That Which is a Divine medicine

Pushtikaraaya Namaha

Tushti karaaya Namah

Kanti vardhakaaya Namah

Tvacha Mitraya Namah

Capsicumaya Namah

MEANING

I bow to,

That Which fills the body with muscles and flesh

That Which satisfies you

That Which improves complexion of skin

That which is a friend of skin

That Which is known as Capsicum

Brand rissie Namah

Filfil har Namne Namah

fulful harr Namne Namah

Dar feller Namne Namah

Felfelaya Namah

Jolokia Mariche Namah

HuaycaYe Namah

LakaYe Namah

Lanka mariche Namah

Moriche Namah........................................75

Lal mariche Namah

Nga yut theeye Namah

Nil theeYe Namah

La jiao Mariche Namah

Mi jiao Namne Namah

Ye la ziYe Namah

Ye jiao zi Ye Namah

Paprika ljuta Ye Namah

Spanskpebee Namah.

Bird pepperaye Namah

Chili pepperaye Namah

Goat pepper Mariche Namah

Spur pepper Phalaya Namah,

Chilli Ye Namah

Bird's-eye chilliye Namah

Cayenne pepperaya Namah

Chilipippuri Mariche Namah

Piment des oiseauxe Namah

Piment enragé Namah

ZiegenpfefferNamne Namah

Vogelpfefferaye Namah

Roter Pfeffere Namah,

Chili Pfeffere Namah

Kafstiki pipera ye Namah

Marchu we Namah

Mirchiye Namah

Adom Mariche Namah

Pilpel harife Namah

Mirche Namah

Peperone acre Namah

Peperone d'India we Namah

Peperone rabbioso we Namah

Pepe d'ucello we Namah....................................108

To be contd..........................................

The photograph is taken from

http://ayyappatempleludhiana.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-post.html

with thanks

Marcha Na Bhajia
aka
Menasinakai Bajji






The flavor that excites me most (and to the most of the foodies and public at large) is Heavenly smell of frying Chili peppers.The wafting aroma tingles the tongue and excites a part of brain that widens the eyes and sends secretion message to the tongue ,which starts salivating. The feeling is almost the same in any person who loves food and lives in any corner of this earth.

When I was searching for the reasons that made chili peppers as the most sought after spice in the whole world, I looked at different reasons like smell, color,taste , cost and shelf life etc.Surprisingly chili peppers came out toppers in spite of their fiery burning taste.Red colour and nose burning, cough inducing fumes.What,then makes Chilies, the most sought after spice?Honestly speaking , I myself could not pinpoint any plausible single reason.But the fact remains that there is no corner of this world where people do not like, love and swear by their chilies.

I have talked to hundreds of people about the reason they like their food most, invariablythey pin pointed to the primary taste maker and taste enhancer as Fiery hot or mildly hot chili peppers.Among the methods of chili pepper consumption, two stood out as most popular ways of consumption.Fried and or Roasted and the second one was Powdered.

This, then calls for posting a very popular recipe from India , which falls in "Fried"catagory.In India, Chili fritters are known as Mirchi Ki Bhajji" or Marcha Na Bhajiya.This nomanclature varies from state to state. But the end product , basically remains the same.I am posting a very fine recipe of Marcha Na Bhajiya as eaten in Karnataka which is one of the southern states in India,


When we think of a fiery evening snack especially on a cold evening,, the first thing that comes to my mind is the "Mirchi Bajji" lovingingly called as "Menasinakai Bajji" in Karnataka..Especially in Bangalore, the vendors on hand-carts made delicious bajjis and it was my favourite indulging snack..My friend got me a bag full of the portugese peppers which are fiery hot fresh from her garden..She warned me about the degree of heat in these chillies..So I decided to make these stuffed bajjis to satisfy my snack craving:)..Here it is..

You need:

5-6 Long portugese peppers/banana peppers/any kind of peppers which can hold stuffing and Clean them, make a vertical slit on one side and remove the vein with the seeds if you do not like it very hot..


For the stuffing:


2 boiled potatoes
1 onion chopped finely
1/2 cup coriender leaves chopped
2tsps chat masala powder
1tsp peanut powder(optional)
juice of a lime
and salt to taste

Mix everything together..

For the batter:
1cup besan/chickpea flour
tbsp of rice flour
A pinch of turmeric
A pinch of red chilli powder
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp coriander powder
water (little)
salt
oil to deep fry

mix everything together to a thick batter..

Stuff the vertically slit Chili peppers with potato mixture gently and keep them aside..Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the stuffed peppers dipped in batter till brown and crispy.
If you want to give special effect like what you get on streets, dip once agian into batter and refry the bhajjis in oil. This gives them a thick covering as in street bought Bhajjis.
Serve them with coffee or tea as the choice may be.
Bhajjis are best enjoyed as a rainy day evening snack or with spirits.

Receipe adopted with permission with small changes and photograph from
http://brindavanrecipes.blogspot.com/

Marcha Na Bhajiya

READY TO EAT...DELICIOUS ...BHAJJIS !!

Image taken with thanks from

http://cuminhut.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html

Naga Morich And The Dentist !!

A visit to the dentist involves more fear than pain

when you are a child.

A visit to the dentist involves no fear and bit of pain

when you are a youth.

A visit to the dentist involves no fear and a lot of pain

when you are old.

-Nagajolokiaaddict

Ist Posting 20th October evening

So what has this to do with Hot Chilli Peppers?

Well, this has given me a chance to try out action of Hot Chili peppers (Naga Jolokia) on pain.

I wanted to prove the point that my old Ayah was right when she used to apply paste of fiery hot chillies on her forehead for her migrain attacks. And this was about 55 years back.!!

My dentist asked me to take pain killers and anti biotics for post dental work pain.

But I had other ideas in my mind. So I will take antibiotics but no pain killers.

What I have done is, that I have applied Naga Morich juice from inner parts to my affected cheek parts to see how the capsaicin works. It is almost 45 minutes since I applied the Lava .

My cheek has turned red. The pain part has diminished and there is no discomfort as of now.

I plan to apply Red Hot Lava juice every three hours to my cheek and also eat my usual dose of Naga Morich pickle to attack the pain generators. I am sure it is going to work like magic.

While I am typing this report, I can literally feel pain slowly subsiding. The throbbing pain has started to become a nagging ache.

I am sure that I will be out of this misery earlier than expected due to Naga Morich .

..Now where is my Pepper fairy? Storm ...are you reading this?

UPDATE AT 10.40 pm 20th October 2008

It is almost 14 hours since my molar was

drilled and filled.

Pain is almost not there. Cheek is still red.

By tomorrow I should be much more at ease.

If I press the filling, the pain is there.This means

I have to continue application of Naga juice tomorrow.

But today, I have applied only once so far.

The hot tingling is still very much there.

But I am happy that I did not take 3 pain killers as prescribed.

UPDATE on 21st October 2008 , 8.40 am

I must say that people have underestimated virtues of Chili peppers .Believe me, I spent my first 24 hours only on strength of Naga Morich applied topically.My 80 percent pain has disappeared. Deep within the tooth , I have neural pain and I will have to take an analgesic now to get relief from that pain.In my opinion, muscular pains and pains associated with topical neuron sensitivity like Arthrities are best treated with capsaicin.I will update you with more info

Image of the Dentist visit taken from www.mickphoto.com/ with thanks.

Death By Chili peppers...Really?

Here Sleeps A Brave Heart

"He ate many chillies and paid the price
His heart stopped resulting in sad demise.
He tried to look macho and a strong man
He became,instead dead meat packed in can. "



-By Naga Jolokia Addict






A promising young cook died due to overdose of chili peppers that he took to prove a point about being a Macho Man....probably.

Read the whole story as under.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article4842531.ece

From The TimesSeptember 29, 2008

Keen cook died after eating red-hot chilli sauce as a dare

Steve Bird An aspiring chef died after eating a super-hot chilli sauce as part of an endurance competition with a friend.

Andrew Lee, 33, challenged his girlfriend’s brother to a contest to see who could eat the spiciest sauce that he could create.

The fork-lift truck driver, who wanted to cook for a living, prepared a tomato sauce made with red chillies grown on his father’s allotment. After eating it, however, he suffered intense discomfort and itching. The following morning he was found dead, possibly after suffering a heart attack.

Toxicology tests are being conducted to try to establish if he suffered a reaction to the food.

An inquest was told that Mr Lee, from Edlington, West Yorkshire, was in perfect health and had just passed a medical examination at work. He was a keen cook and would often prepare meals for his parents. It is believed that Mr Lee had never prepared a dish as hot as the one he made the night before his death.

Mr Lee’s sister, Claire Chadbourne, 29, said that he took a jar of the sauce to the home of his girlfriend, Samantha Bailey, and challenged her brother Michael, 29, to see who could eat it. “Andrew just ate the chillies with a plate of Dolmio sauce,” she added. “It was not a proper meal because he had already eaten lamb chops and potato mash after work.

“He apparently got into bed at 2.30am and started scratching all over. His girlfriend scratched his back until he fell asleep. She woke up and he had gone. It is incredible. Who would have thought he could have died from eating chilli sauce? We don’t know of anything else that could have caused his death. The postmortem showed no heart problems.

“He loved cooking for his friends. He always said he wanted to be a chef but didn’t want to start at the bottom.”

An inquest was opened and adjourned in Doncaster last week.



End Report...


Was this avoidable?
What led to his death which was so untimely?
Why he died?
Are chili peppers the cause of death?

I want to discuss these questions in my next posting.

RIP Picture taken from www with thanks to the unknown original poster.

Falling In Love With Naga Morich....For Ever

Falling in love with Naga as I wrote before, is an unique and once in life time experience that lasts your life time.

There is excitement, there is passion, there is longing, there are pangs of separation, There is bliss of meeting again and again and yet the warmth that you feel when you are one with Naga is indescribable.The feel of holding Naga in hand is something electric in nature.It is like holding a glass containing unknown potion. You feel like Socrates holding a glass of Hemlock.But Naga brings you a high after suffering and not death.

Its flaming red color and pointed tip holds you in a trance.Heady scent sends you in an elevated state of mind which I can only equate with Transcendental meditative state. You are on a sublime trip.

Very thought of the potent heat encased in soft pods that resemble hot lips of your beloved sends your blood rushing through veins.It is like holding a smoking volcano in your hands; or an eager,anticipative and quivering mouth of your beloved breathing passion on your chest while in embrace.

Your state of mind is just like the male spider approaching Black widow female.You know that the first bite itself will shoot daylights out of you.Once you take the first morsel it is tentative like kissing for the first time.At first there is tingling and within a matter of seconds, the leaping flames engulf you.You will be like a chicken on a grill except the fact that this "You" is alive,and the grill is within you.

The white heat will hit your mouth, the aroma coupled with unseen heat in vapours will hit your nostrils and eyes. The ears will start smoking, eyes and nose will start running and your throat will burn differently than the mouth.The stomach will send different heat messages than other parts.The breathing is faster, the blood pumped by heart is faster. Nerve ends all over your body are doing a Banshee dance.The whole effect is more exciting and overpowering than a hundred ORGASMS happening with you.

I have been on such trips twice a day after lunch and dinner.I never have enough of this excitement and I want more and more of it. At lunch I look forward to dinner and my lovely Naga Jolokia Chutney pickle or Red Naga Pickle.And at dinner I dream of next day lunch with my beloved Naga.You are in life long love. A love that Shakespeare has described as under.

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved."



I am in love with the cruelest beloved and yet, I want to suffer and enjoy my suffering.

"O God, I want to remain so.

So Help Me God!!"



Image taken from EROGLAMOUR.COM with thanks

Falling In Love With Naga Jolokia

Exactly 36 years back, as a young man, I was looking after our glass bottle business in Madras. One day, I complained to my friend Jayant Kamdar (aka JK) that I was bored to death. He was a pioneer optometrist in Madras who was trained at Canada in fitting contact lenses.

He was an extremely intelligent person and he would often tell his friends, "There are only two Gujaratis who are brilliant. “One is myself and another is Hemant." He was the most incorrigible Jain I have ever known. He enjoyed chicken more than chickpeas. Eggs more than eggplants and, in short, prided himself in saying that "I eat all things that walk, fly and crawl.”

He used me as a guinea pig for demonstrating his contact lenses to people, particularly film stars. The late MGR and SHIVAJI GANESHAN were two stars who saw a color movie of me wearing cosmetic lenses which turned the color of my eyes blue, red, orange, and green. Later on both started wearing colored lenses as their movie roles demanded.

Coming back to my complaining to him that "I was bored to death,” he replied "Look Hemant, I had the same question in my mind when I was in Canada and a white Canadian friend gave a suggestion that "If you are bored to death in your life, either start drinking or start loving somebody's wife."The reason being that whenever you are with the wife of someone, there is always a fear and excitement about being discovered with your pants down and mentally you are always trying to figure out ways to escape from the bedroom at the drop of a hat.

I understood his logic and agreed that the second suggestion was most welcome. I told him so and asked "How about my falling in love with your wife? Because charity starts at home."

There is no need to say that he literally fell off his stool laughing and told me that I was more intelligent than him.

But what possible connection does this story have with my love for Naga Jolokia?

Friends, there is a connection.

When you feel lethargic and are in a state of ennui, and when your body and mind slow down, when you no longer feel the bouncy spirits in you, when you feel that hunger has left your stomach, when you do not like to eat proper food, when your blood report says cholesterol at high levels, when the urine report says sugar over the permitted level meaning you are a diabetic, it is time you should go to your vegetable seller or a farmers’ market, and not to your doctor. You will do yourself a big favour by buying Hot chili peppers like Habanero or Thai chili or any Hot variety available. This is just to start with. Remember that you need to flirt with Naga at a later date.

If you are a novice, buy mildly hot chili peppers and start eating at least two per day to start with. If you are gutsy, buy habanero chiles and start with two per day. Continue this therapy for about fifteen days and then select chile peppers with higher heat. Repeat the same process till you are ready to kiss the Naga and suffer for the folly.

But in order to be successful, you will have to think Naga, feel Naga and physically caress Naga. Have about a pound of Habaneras or Red Savina or any other hot pepper always with you in the fridge. Get used to seeing them, feeling them, smelling them and occasionally taking a small bite from them.

Falling in love with Naga Jolokia is like falling in love with someone's wife or a rich man's daughter, or a possessive WWE lady wrestler. Generally it starts and remains a ONE SIDED AFFAIR which is life long. Your first encounter with hot chile peppers leaves you red in face, fire burning in your mouth, crying, and generally at your most uncomfortable state, with your whole being on fire. The effect of your initial encounters leaves a bad taste in your mouth and just as in love, leaves a heartburn followed by stomach burn and a red ass on fire. Faint hearted sissy people run away never to try and look Naga in face (let alone in the mouth).

But for others like me (incorrigible and written-off cases), instead of being a deterrent, it prompts them to "not get defeated" and goads them to try again and again. This is because Naga, once within your system makes you feel hyper or on a high. You feel as if you are driving an SUV in a DUI state. Your tongue longs for that tingling burning sensation. Your lips long for the hot burning kiss of death. It creates a state of challenge in your mind, mouth and stomach. All the three of them want to face the challenge again and again.

You once again reach for the forbidden fruit called Naga Jolokia and once again are floored in agony.

This state of affairs lasts just for an initial period of a couple months. Then, Naga seems to be impressed with your determination. Please remember that at this stage, you are just being tolerated and nothing more. Any layoffs from Naga and you have to start from square one. Naga Jolokia is very possessive in nature. You ignore Naga for a short while and you go one light year backward and away from Naga.

Naga needs to be caressed, smelt, kissed and enjoyed in bits and pieces. You can't just insult Naga by trying to devour whole fruit at a time. It would be like swallowing a red hot pinball. You will neither be able to swallow nor to spit it out. You will be in a catch 22 situation. Naga needs a lot of flirtation. Naga will never get used to you. You will have to get used to Naga.

Flirting with Naga is a long, drawn-out process and it requires determination, perseverance, and a willingness to suffer. For a spicy man like me, it took about 6 months to be accepted by Naga. For a novice like you, you may have to sweat it out for over a year depending on your determination.

You must always remember that you are flirting with the most coveted woman on earth who is beautiful like no other, who is delicate like no other, who is fiery like no other, and who is unforgiving like no other. You must also remember that you will never be able to master her and will always be a devoted servant to her. You will always bear her anger, fire, and kiss of death on a daily basis. You will also understand that being with your mistress Naga is a thing of Bliss or Nirvana.


To be continued……


picture of " LADY ON FIRE" from flickr.com with thanks

Lady With Fire

Naga looks so quiet just a-hangin' there

But if you try it you better beware

She looks sedate but it's hard to tell

When she's awake she's gonna raise some hell!

She sets tongues on fire and she gives hot shocks

Kindles desire in you like a tinderbox

Her kiss is smokin' and I'm feelin' numb

It's just a token of what's to come

We love your fire, baby, let it flow

We know you have a fire down below

She's an inferno with some steam to let off

But you never know when she's gonna get off

She's a powder keg ready to blow

Well you can beg but she won't let you go

Explodes with a flash leaves you shakin' like mad

She's the best piece of chilli I've ever had



adapted with alteration with thanks from Songwriter - Jesse Lane's song "Volcano Woman" (Copyright 1999 Heart of Music Publishing) withchanges; you can hear the original song here:

Jesse Lane510-575-1500

http://www.heart-of-music.com/Songs/VolcanoWoman/VolcanoWoman.html

ADDICTION OR CRAVING?

Ears smoke, Mouth burns, Eyes water

Are chile peppers addictive? This question has been the subjects of a great deal of debate in scientific, social, and gourmet circles. Chile peppers, they all agree, are addictive. They produce an intense craving for eating more on a daily basis. Bland food consumption by chile pepper addicts does not produce "that satisfaction." The question is whether this intense craving for hot chile peppers is true addiction or whether it is just a psychological addiction? Some tend to believe that it has more to do with the mind than the body.

Tobacco and chile peppers belong to the same botanical family and have alkaloids that produce almost the same sort of body response, where neurons become "numb" to the dose and develop tolerance, requiring increasing dosages to achieve the same effect. So in order to get the heat response, people eat more and more or hotter chillies.

Surprisingly, there is no withdrawal symptoms if one stops eating chile peppers. But with Tobacco, it is the reverse. Tobacco consumption actually increases the numbers of receptors and aggravates the addiction. Read what a Duke university study reveals:

"A study at Duke University Medical Center revealed that in smaller doses, capsaicin and nicotine create some of the same physiological responses which include irritation, secretion, sneezing, vasodilation, coughing and peptide release. In larger doses, when injected, capsaicin destroys many of the neurons containing its receptors, while nicotine actually increases the number of nicotine acetylcholine receptors. The result is that large doses of capsaicin result in the body becoming less responsive to capsaicin, but that large doses of nicotine cause the body to become more responsive to nicotine." (with thanks from an article by Jane Butel).

Nicotine causes both psychological and physiological dependency, with the mind and body wanting more and more. But capsaicin in chile peppers does not make your body dependent!

Addiction to consuming chile peppers, therefore, is more of a craving than a physiological addiction. Nonetheless, it can be a habit forming food, as any chilephile will tell you!

There is, however, a big difference. To get nicotine you need to ingest tobacco, which can be carcinogenic and leads to very many diseases that your body cannot fight against after some time. Eating chile peppers, on the other hand, is a healthy habit. Capsaicin helps remove arthritic pain, toothache, and muscular spasmodic pains when used topically. The pupular Lakota analgesics, despite their fanciful marketing featuring images of dramatic American Indians and bird calls, contain nothing more than capsaicin!

When taken internally, capsaicin is antibacterial. It benefits the whole alimentary canal and purifies the blood through increased blood flow and sweating. It also helps in the digestion of food by stimulating the production of digestive juices. It can kill cells responsible for diabetes. It reduces and removes cholesterol problems. It also can remove sinus congestion.

Chile peppers, like many other vegetables, leave an alkaline residue in the body upon digestion. An alkaline body is most desirable, because it does not let cancer cells or colds, viruses, flus, etc. survive in the body. No wonder cayenne finds its place next to honey, lemon (a strong alkalizing food, despite its acidic taste), and ginger in some peoples' regimens of natural cold remedies.

Capsaicin has been found to induce mass suicide of prostate cancer cells and cancers of many other types. The research of capsaicin as a medicine is sustaining momentum and almost all the countries are doing research in benefits of consuming chile peppers.

...all that aside, I will be posting the true way to fall in love with chile peppers tomorrow or so...

(Image taken from Clip art with thanks)

Thanks to a Canadian friend for his editing inputs.

VICTIM OF "EVIL EYE"?

North India is 180 degrees opposite of South India in every aspect including political views.

But one thing that is common is the use of Chile peppers to ward off Evil Eye effects.

In India, chile peppers are used in many different ways to ward off evil eye. Most popular among the methods is to hang five or seven chile peppers strung with a lemon at the bottom or in between.

This contraption is hung plumb at the entrance of any home or shop.

Young children and pretty girls often suffer due to the "EVIL EYE" effect. Their anxious and worried mothers and grandmothers remove the bad effects by throwing salt and dry chile pepper pods in a fire after performing simple rituals like circling salt and chile pods or mustard seeds and chile pods over the victim's heads and body and then throwing them in the fire. The resultant smoke removes the evil eye effects!!

Try it out....You've got nothing to lose (except seven chile peppers and a lime).



Note: The image was taken from the net with thanks to the original poster.

HILLARY'S HEALTH PLAN

Hot Peppers

Picking peppers for perfect health? (Alicia Wagner Calzada/Associated Press)


During a recent “60 Minutes” interview, Senator Hillary Clinton unveiled a surprising weapon in her fight to become the Democratic presidential nominee: hot peppers.
“I eat a lot of hot peppers,” she told CBS News anchor Katie Couric, who had asked her how she maintains her stamina on the campaign trail. “I for some reason started doing that in 1992, and I swear by it. I think it keeps my metabolism revved up and keeps me healthy.”
Nutritionists say Mrs. Clinton may be on to something. Although the scientific study of hot peppers is limited, there are some suggestions that capsaicin, the active ingredient in peppers, has numerous health benefits.
For starters, peppers contain several important nutrients, including beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin C, said Jonny Bowden, a board-certified nutritionist and author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.” In fact, peppers contain about twice the amount of vitamin C found in citrus fruits, which may help explain why they have emerged as a popular home remedy for fighting colds
Much of the research on capsaicin involves pain relief, and capsaicin is a common ingredient in over-the-counter pain creams. The analgesic effect of the capsaicin found in peppers may help explain why Mrs. Clinton believes it makes her feel better.
“People on those kinds of schedules, they are wearing their body down and not sleeping much,” Dr. Bowden said. “Possibly it could be like taking a couple of aspirins.”
Hot peppers also may slightly boost the metabolism, which could give Mrs. Clinton a sense of having more stamina and energy. “If you ate a big hot pepper, it would be hard to go right to sleep,” Dr. Bowden said.

RECIPE FOR LONG & HEALTHY LIFE

When I hear of people who are relatively young , complaining of Sugar, blood pressure and such and when I hear even middle aged people complaining of prostrate
Problem in addition to the above, I suspect that there is something wrong with their diet.
And in actuality, THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEIR DIET.

I am fortunate enough to have spent my childhood in a remote village in Gujarat India, where we had people who lived long.
They were people who lived off the land and had simple lifestyles.
The only fruits they had were what grew locally which were Berries, Palm Date fruits, and Bananas. Oranges were used only when someone was bed ridden. Apples were a luxury meant only for rich and were simply never available.

Their diet was simple fare of Wheat bread (Rotis), Millet bread, Lentils, fresh vegetables and thin buttermilk.

So what made them healthy and long living? Why did they not suffer from Blood pressure or Diabetes or prostrate problems?
Why they did not have heart problems or Cholesterol?

On the face of it, many factors can be said to be responsible for their happiness.
But at the bottom, I found that these people were lovers of Green/Red peppers or what we called as Mirchis or Marchas (Chillies).

My grandfather lived to see 96 summers. He never fell sick and never ever took any injection in his life. He would consume 1 tsp of fiery chilli powder every single day along with his curry or Dal.
In addition, he would take Green chillies stir fried in little oil with a dash of salt or a couple of stuffed chillies.

My sister's father in law lived to see 100 summers and he too had a habit of eating at least three to four stir fried green peppers as mentioned above with his lunch.

My wife's grandmother from father's side and her grand mother from mother's side lived to see 98 and 104 summers respectively.
They too used to consume fair amount of green peppers and red chilli powder in their daily simple meal.

I attributed their long lives to simple living without any stress all along.
But after becoming an avid or say rabid addict to Naga Jolokia aka Naga Morich, I discovered a lot of scientific proofs of Capsaicin acting as an elixir by destroying many forms of cancers, diabetes, prostrate problems, cholesterol and what not.

I don't say that green chillies or red pepper powders etc are cure all remedy. But I do believe in the fact that this small wonder called chilli has been responsible for many a good things that have happened to us because we loved to eat fiery little chillies.

There is a way in which this little wonder has to be used to derive the best out of it.
We will post the method next.