CHILI PEPPER

Chili peppers are famous throughout the world from the fiery cuisines of Mexico, India, Thailand and Africa to the subtle flavor enhancement of the most delicate dishes. The hot varieties can also be picked at any color stage, but are hottest if allowed to fully ripen. Chili peppers ripen through a wide range of colors from yellow, orange, purple and even brown. Some chili peppers turn bright red, which is more often an indication of ripeness rather than hotness.

Chili peppers are perennial shrubs native to South America, which are grown as annuals in our colder climate. They range in hotness from mild to fiery hot. The burning sensation is attributed to chemical compounds called capsaicinoids, which are stored in the light-colored veins, on the walls, and surrounding the seeds. Capsaicin acts on the pain receptors in the mouth, not the taste buds. Experts agree that long hot dry summers produce the best (hottest) chili peppers.

Fun facts:

• They contain three times as much vitamin C as oranges, and twice as much iron as spinach.
• There are more than 200 varieties of chilis, more than 100 of which are indigenous to Mexico.
• It is a common misconception that the hotter the pepper, the more acidic. The hotness of the pepper depends on the amount of capsaicin it contains and not the level of acidity.
• There are many varieties of chilis, including: Anaheim, Banana, Cubanelle, Fresno , Habanero, Jalapeno, Pailla, Pimiento, Pablano, Serrano and Yellow.