[The Editors' Verdict] The Age of Spicy Food Addiction

K-Spicy Goes Global
A Fiery Craze Amid Rising Uncertainty for Humanity

"All those countless chili peppers in the world were spread by birds. Chili peppers made themselves spicy to protect against animals, but birds enjoyed the heat. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say their dull sense of taste made them indifferent. Thanks to the diligence of birds and the tongues of people who crave stimulation, chili peppers from South America have spread across the globe."

Myung Ji-hyun's novel "Gyogun's Flavor" is a story that makes your mouth water. Set in a restaurant called "Gyogun," the novel unravels the tumultuous lives of three generations of women, and its vivid descriptions of spiciness perfectly ignite the 'spicy pride' of Koreans.

Korea is a country where people have an exceptional love for spicy flavors. From kimchi to tteokbokki and spicy fish stew, most Korean meals are bright red. As introduced in the novel, chili peppers originated in Mexico. During the Age of Discovery, which began in the 15th century, Christopher Columbus discovered chili peppers near the equator in Mexico and brought them to Europe, after which they spread worldwide. It is believed that chili peppers were introduced to Korea around the time of the Japanese invasions of the 16th century. Some say the Japanese army brought them during the war, while others claim they were cultivated earlier after being brought from China.

Chili peppers are said to have become a staple of Korean cuisine in the late Joseon Dynasty, in the 18th century, but studies show that the use of chili powder in Korean food surged after the Korean War. The spicy flavors that helped relieve the stress of Korea's rapid economic growth have now become a defining identity of Korean cuisine.

In recent years, spicy flavors have captivated taste buds not only in Korea but around the world. Samyang Foods' Buldak Bokkeum Myeon, a leading example of K-spicy food, surpassed 1.3 trillion won in exports last year alone. First released in 2013, Buldak Bokkeum Myeon gained popularity in 2016 with the "Buldak Challenge," especially among Asian communities in the United States, and exports soared last year. In the first half of this year, Samyang Foods' ramen exports reached 835 billion won, already exceeding 60% of last year's annual total. Notably, while the Americas accounted for only 20% of exports in 2023, this figure rose to 30% in the first half of this year, making it the largest export market.

Spiciness is known as a form of pain sensation. Unlike the tastes of salty, bitter, sour, sweet, and umami, the 'TRPV1' receptor, which detects temperature, perceives spicy compounds as extreme heat above 43 degrees Celsius, and this sensation is transmitted to the brain as pain. People with 'spicy pride' who can handle spicy food are said to have fewer of these receptors. When spicy food enters the body, the brain mistakenly thinks it has been burned, prompting the release of endorphins, which have a pain-relieving effect and boost mood. This is why people crave spicy food whenever they are stressed.

The recent global craze for K-spicy food is likely related to this. The emergence of COVID-19, a novel infectious disease, threatened survival, and during the pandemic, the world witnessed the fragility of life through "two wars" (Ukraine-Russia, Israel-Hamas). In addition, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has heightened fears that human knowledge, once used for making a living, could become obsolete. Above all, since the inauguration of the Donald Trump administration in the United States, global economic uncertainty has only grown. An unpredictable future is a source of stress shared by people worldwide.

Spicy food is highly addictive because our bodies seek it to trigger the release of stimulating hormones. While it is fortunate that the K-spicy trend is unlikely to be just a passing fad, it seems that the rest of our lives will require a constant dose of this spicy "drug"-my mouth is already tingling at the thought.