Pungency
The hot, sharp or biting sensation caused by chilli, pepper, ginger, mustard and similar foods.
Also: spiciness, heat, piquancy
Pungency is what people mean when they call food hot or spicy. It is carried by pain and temperature nerves, not by taste buds. Different compounds cause it. Capsaicin in chillies gives a slow, lasting burn. Piperine in black pepper is sharper and shorter. Mustard, horseradish and wasabi release vapours that rush up the nose and fade quickly. Sichuan pepper is different again and makes the lips tingle and go numb, a feeling called ma in Chinese.