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Perhaps the chief misconception about chili peppers is their red-hot reputation. Many are fiery hot, but many others are sweet, mild, or richly flavored. Their hotness is concentrated in the interior veins or ribs near the seed
heart, not in the seeds as is commonly believed (the seeds taste extra hot
because they are in close contact with the hot veins). If, when the pepper
is cut open, the veins have a yellowish orange color in that area, it usually
indicates the pepper will be a potent one.
That the burning sensation that makes chili peppers so appealing to culinary
thrill-seekers comes from capsaicin or more accurately a collection of compounds
called capsaicinoids. These develop in the placenta or cross-ribs of the
fruit, which is why that part of the chili pepper is the hottest. A single
dominant gene transmits capsaicinoids. Bell peppers are just like jalapeno
peppers and Serrano peppers but bell peppers taste bland instead of pungent because they
lack that gene.
In 1912, a pharmacist named Scoville came up with a heat index for measuring the
heat in a chili product, or scoring capsaicinoid content. This index was
called the Scoville Units and is still used today. A more modern version
used by many chile writers is called the Official Chile Pepper Heat Scale with a
rating of zero to ten. Bell peppers rate a zero because they contain no
capsaicinoid. At a 5 rating: jalapeno peppers
at a 6 rating serrano peppers
at a 8 rating cayenne peppers and
Tabasco peppers
and at a 9 rating chalet pin peppers and Thai hot peppers.
The spelling of the word "chili" is used here as it is used in Mexico.
Because American spice companies label their ground chili blends "chili"
you will encounter that spelling in recipes using the purchased ground spice.
More than 140 varieties of chilies peppers are grown in Mexico alone. Those that
follow are most popular in the United States and used in most Mexican cooking
recipes.
Recently, a
chipotle dark chocolate bar and a
jalapeno milk chocolate bar came on to the confectionary market - heavenly!
Descriptions
| Bell peppers |
Probably the most familiar pepper in the United States, the green
and red bell peppers are somewhat square and fist-size. Green peppers
turn red in the fall, becoming sweeter and milder, yet retaining their
crisp, firm texture. |
| Ancho peppers |
This chili looks and tastes very much like ordinary bell pepper but
can be considerably more peppery at times. Tapered rather than
square, it is firmer, less crisp, more waxy-looking. It turns a
bright red and sweetens up in the fall. When dry, it assumes a
flat, round shape and wrinkles up like a prune. |
| California green chilies (Anaheim) |
Fresh, these peppers are 5 to 8 inches long, 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide,
tapering to a point, usually a bright, shiny green. The flavor ranges
from mild and sweet to moderate hot. To use fresh peppers, peel the
skin from the chilies. When using fresh or canned, taste for hotness
- they can vary greatly from pepper to pepper. |
| Chilaca Chiles |
Look and taste much like the guajillo and guayon
chiles. |
| Chile de Arbol |
Also known as the "Cola de Rata". Often dried,
toasted, used to decorate Mexican dishes. |
| Chipotle Chiles |
Made from jalapenos that have been dried and
smoked. Sold both dried and canned in adobo, or a rich smoky dark
reddids-brown sauce. |
| Fresno chili peppers |
Bright green, changing to orange and red when fully matured.
Fresno chilies have a conical shape - about 2 inches long and 1
inch in diameter at the stem end. They are often just labeled "hot
chili peppers" when canned or bottled. |
| Guajillo Chiles |
Smooth-skin, brick or cranberry red chiles, a
bit spicier than anchos and not as sweet. Because of their tangy
brightness, they are often powdered over fruit or vegetables or added to
stews and soups. |
| Jalapeno chili peppers |
These peppers have thicker flesh, darker green color, and more
cylindrical shape than Fresno chilies; however, the heat level of the
two varieties is about the same - HOT! Canned and
bottled peppers are sometimes labeled "hot peppers" with jalapeno as a
subtitle. They are always available in sauce form such as salsa and pickled. |
| Mulato Chiles |
Deep brown, longer and more tapered than the
ancho, more pungent also. Often replaces the ancho in recipes. |
| Pasilla peppers |
The true pasilla pepper is a long, thin pepper 7 to 12 inches long by 1
inch in diameter. Pasillas turn from dark green to dark brown as
they mature. |
| Pequin Chiles |
Tiny, dried red bullets of fiery heat, adding a
unique flavor to many dishes. Crumble the dried pod and add. |
| Pimentos |
These heart-shaped chilies are purchased canned in the United
States. The flesh is softer and a little sweeter than the common
red bell pepper. |
| Poblano Chiles |
Dark green, about the size of a bell pepper but
tapered at one end, can be mild or hot. Often used in "Chile Rellenos" |
| Serrano Chiles |
A small 1 ½ fresh HOT pepper. The smaller they are, the more
kick they have. Most often used in Pico de Gallo. Dynamite
hot is an understatement for these tiny 1-inch peppers. When new
on the vine, they are rich, waxy green, changing to orange and red as
they mature. They also sold canned, pickled, or packed in oil.
A great source of vitamin C. |
| Small, whole, red dried hot chili peppers. |
Labeled this way on the supermarket spice shelves, many small
tapered chiles about 1 to 2 inches long are sold dried, but there is
no one variety name that applies to all of them. |
| Yellow Chile peppers. |
Many short conical-shaped yellow peppers with a waxy sheen go by
this name: Santa Fe grande, caribe, banana pepper, Hungarian, Armenian
way, floral gem, and gold spike. Probably most familiar are the
canned pickled wax peppers. Their flavor ranges from medium-hot
to hot. |
| Habanero peppers |
To date these are the Hottest chili peppers know to man,
HOT - HOT - HOT.
Use extreme caution when using. Marble-shaped chili
peppers, ranges
in color from unripe green to full ripe red. |
| Scoville Units |
Names |
| 0 |
Bell Sweet Italian |
| 100 - 500 |
Peperoncini Cherry |
| 500 - 1,000 |
New Mexico |
| 1,000 - 1,500 |
Pasilla Poblano Ancho |
| 1,500 - 2,500 |
Rocotillo |
| 2,500 - 5,000 |
Jalapeno Chipotle Guajillo |
| 5,000 - 10,000 |
Yellow Wax |
| 10,000 - 23,000 |
Serrano |
| 325,000 and up |
Habanero |
DID YOU KNOW.....
CAPSAICIN (Zostrix), a topical nonprescription
cream, made from the seeds of hot chili peppers, is used to treat skin
hypersensitivity resulting from "shingles" (Herpes Zoster). It
is the only medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for
treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia.
(Article originally published in the Mayo Clinic
Health Letter, Nov. 1997)
~~
Eating spicy food and/or chile peppers can become addictive. There are many
people who don't enjoy tortilla chips unless they have salsa to eat with them,
there are others that can never find a salsa HOT enough for their taste. Studies
have shown that, yes, eating spicy food is addicting. What happens after eating
something hot, is your body nerves feel pain. These pain signals are immediately
transmitted to your brain. Your brain interprets this signal and automatically
releases endorphins (the body's natural pain killer). The endorphins kick in and
act as a pain killer and create this temporary feeling of euphoria. Hot and
spicy food lovers soon begin to crave this feeling and are hooked!
Use Caution In Handling And Storing Chile Peppers
When using fresh or dried chili peppers, wear gloves to protect your hands
because the oils, capsaicin*, in the peppers can cause severe burns. Don't
touch your face or eyes. If chilies do come in contact with your bare
hands, wash thoroughly with soapy water. If burning persists, soak hands in
a bowl of milk. When grinding dried chilies,
beware of the chili dust in the air, which will irritate eyes and throats.
* Remedies for eating a pepper that is too hot for you:
Drink milk, rinsing the mouth with it while swallowing, ice cream or yogurt. Eat
rice or bread which will absorb the capsaicin. Drink tomato juice or eat a
fresh lime or lemon (the acid will counter act the alkalinity of the
capsaicin).
* Do not drink water - capsaicin which is an oil will not mix with
water but instead will distribute to more parts of the mouth.
*What is capsaicin?
Capsaicin is the heat factor in chilies that is used medically
to produce deep-heating rubs for treating sports injuries and arthritic therapies.
To Dry Your Own Chile peppers
Tie the stems onto a sturdy piece of twine, placing chilies close together and
making the strand as long as you wish. Hang in dry area with the air
circulating freely around the strand. In several weeks, chilies lose their
brilliant hue, changing to a deep, glistening red; they will feel smooth and dry.
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