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by quickslowdown 848 days ago
The spice is an evolved defense mechanism, so if it's not needed, the peppers eventually stop producing it. Couple that with us intentionally selecting for things other than spice, and within a few generations you have a less spicy pepper.

Note I'm not any kind of qualified to talk on this topic. I'm sure someone can give a better & more accurate answer!
1 comments
yellowapple 848 days ago
It's indeed a defense mechanism, but (from what I understand) it has less to do with bugs and more to do with mammals; pepper plants started surrounding the seeds with capsaicin to ward off mammals (which chew up and destroy the seeds) while still being palatable to birds (which ingest the seeds whole and "drop them off" elsewhere).

Then a certain species of primate decided "Grug inflict pain on self, makes Grug happy" and the rest is history.

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quickslowdown 844 days ago
That sounds like exactly the correction I was hoping for :) and it does make more sense than bugs, especially your bit about birds.
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temp0826 848 days ago
No problem for birds either who don't have the taste buds for capsaicin. I had to buy spicy bird food for a while to ward off the squirrels. A little cruel maybe.
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