The super-spicy curries of Bangladeshi cuisine start out here in the chilli fields, where workers harvest and sort red chilli peppers by hand. Once picked, the peppers are sun-dried and used whole or ground to powder. The chillis not only add a tasty kick to foods but they help kill bacteria as well. Also, hot foods actually help diners cool down: One natural reaction to capsaicin, the active chemical in chillis, is sweating, which can help chill the skin amid tropical heat.
