Chile Peppers: Painful Pleasure

Fiery hot peppers (often referred to as chiles or chilis) have captivated man’s taste buds for thousands of years. The plants, with their ripe fruit ranging in color from red through orange to yellow, green, purple, brown and black, are beautiful and eye-catching in the garden. However, it is in the kitchen that the passion for chiles and their diversity becomes most apparent. Their flavors (including smoky, nutty or fruity heat) are as varied as their looks and add an interesting dimension to many recipes.

Additionally, there is the challenge (mostly masculine in nature) about who can eat the hottest peppers without dire consequences. Some experts speculate chile pepper heat (and the subsequent oral pain) stimulates the production of opioid compounds called endorphins in the brain, conferring a sense of well being similar to a “runner’s high.” Whatever the reason, people seem addicted to this fiery vegetable that literally can make grown men cry.

All peppers (from the scorching chiles to the sweet bells) originated in Central and South America. Archeological evidence in Mexico suggests that native peoples gathered wild chiles as far back as 7,000 BC and by 2,500 BC they were cultivating chile peppers.

In his quest to find a shorter trade route to the East Indies by sailing west in the late 15th century, Christopher Columbus first encountered land in the Caribbean where he sampled a vegetable grown by the natives. Its fiery taste was reminiscent of the spice black pepper (Piper nigrum) grown in the East Indies. With the taste connection in mind, Columbus gave the piquant vegetable the name “pepper.” What he did know is that black pepper is the berry of a tropical vine in the genus Piper and that the New World peppers are herbaceous plants in the genus Capsicum.

Diego Alvarez Chanca, a physician on Columbus’ second voyage to the West Indies in 1493, is credited with bringing the first chiles back to Spain. From there, the Spaniards and Portuguese traded chile peppers throughout Southeast Asia and India, where they were quickly adopted by cultures already enamored with spicy foods. Use of chile peppers soon spread to the Middle East and throughout much of Europe.

Chile peppers eventually spread to North America—via Europe or the Caribbean; the exact route is not clear. Here, chile peppers were not exactly an overnight sensation. Records dating to the Colonial days show that both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, at Mount Vernon and Monticello respectively, grew a cayenne pepper of some type. Chiles were occasionally used in some households, but basically as regional table fare. They were hard to find outside New Orleans and the Southwest until the middle of the 20th century.

Peppers are members of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants. Chiles (as well as all other peppers) are members of the genus Capsicum. Although there are five species in cultivation, the most common chiles used in the United States are all Capsicum annuum. The most familiar exceptions are the Habañero types (C. chinense) and Tabasco and a number of the Asian hot peppers, which carry the species name of C. frutescens. Other chiles worth mentioning include some of the wild peppers from Mexico and the American Southwest like the notorious chiltepíns and chilipiquíns (C. annuum avicular), fiery chiles beloved in other countries such as the Peruvian ‘Aji Colorado’ and the Caribbean ‘Scotch Bonnet’ (C. chinensis) and ‘Peru Yellow,’ as well as the milder but very flavorful ‘Peri-Peri’ from Portugal (C. baccatum).

Additionally, chile peppers are often classified according to their degree of hotness and shape. The hotness (heat) of chiles is due to an alkloid compound called capsaicin, which is produced primarily in the placenta and seeds of the fruit. Its presence in seeds undoubtedly is aimed at discouraging mammals from consuming them since seeds that pass through the digestive tract of mammals do not germinate. Birds are insensitive to capsaicin and seeds passing trough their digestive tract germinate readily

In 1912, pharmacist Wilbur Scoville invented a test to measure the hotness or capsaicin content of peppers by diluting the pepper until the heat was barely perceptible on the tongue. The resultant Scoville rating is measured in multiples of 100. Bell pepper weighs in at 0, jalapeno at a mere 10,000 units, and the fiery Habenaro chile registers an astronomical 200,000 on the Scoville scale.

Following are the 11 most common categories of chile peppers, classified by their fruit shape and their heat or hotness:

Asian/Thai: Small slender, thin-walled fruits that ripen from green to red. They have no distinct pepper flavor but have high to extreme heat. Attractive plants are heavy producers. Use fresh or dried to add heat to curries, marinades, soups and stir-fries.

Cayenne: Long, curved peppers with two cells and thin wrinkled skin. Fruit are generally green but can be yellow or purple; medium to high heat. Harvest red ripe; use fresh or dried to add heat to marinades, pizza, stews, soups, stir-fries and curries.

Chile/Anaheim/New Mexico/Paprika/Pasilla: Long and tapered with fairly thin walls and two cells. Fruit ripen from green to red and have mild to medium heat with mild pepper flavor. Best roasted and stuffed, or chopped and added to ethnic dishes; good for drying when red ripe. The Paprikas have deep rich flavors; allow to ripen fully, then dry and grind up. Add to stews and soups and use as a garnish.

Habañero: Small lantern shape; thin-walls; fruity taste and extreme heat. Fruiting may be erratic in northern gardens. Use sparingly when fresh in fruit salsas, ceviche, sauces and Caribbean curries.

Hot Cherry: Tomato-shaped, thick-walled green peppers that ripen to red and give medium heat. They have a rich, sweet flavor; use for pickles or poach them and stuff with meat or cheese.

Hungarian Wax/Banana: Long and conical, tapering to a point; medium thick walls. They ripen yellow to red and have mild heat. Adaptable to many climates. Use yellow or red ripe for pickles and chutney, or add them to salsas and fried dishes.

Jalapeño: Short and stubby with thick meaty walls. Fruit are deep green with medium to high heat. Harvest Jalapeños green; use fresh in salsas, pickle and grill and add to tacos or burritos. Smoke dry (either green or red ripe) to make chipotles.

Ornamental/hot edible: Upright, small, round or tapered and thin walled; medium to high heat. Bred in a variety of colors and with different shaped peppers. Taste these peppers cautiously at first since some are bitter while others are exceptionally hot. May be pickled to add heat to salsas, marinades and soups.

Poblano (called Ancho when dried): Flat and round, dark green and slightly tapered with a blunt end. Fruit have thin walls with three cells and mild heat. Harvest green for roasting and stuffing; dry when red ripe and grind up for basic salsas and moles.

Santa Fe Grande: Medium-sized, tapered and conical. Fruit have medium thick walls, are yellow-to-red in color and have medium to high heat. Use fresh when ripe; pickle or roast and add to quesadillas and tacos.

Serrano: Slim, slightly club-shaped with medium thick walls. Fruit are green with rich flavor and medium to high heat. Use fresh in the green stage or fry or grill and use as a garnish or add to salsas, tacos, guacamole and other traditional Mexican dishes.

Chiles are relatively easy to grow and usually flourish in warm climates with relatively long growing seasons. They prefer light, well-drained fertile soil but can be produced in a wide range of soils. Under some environmental conditions, fruit set may pose a problem. Blossom drop, which results in little to no fruit set, occurs when the temperatures are above 90 degrees during the day or below 60 degrees at night. When the weather is more suitable, fruits should set.

Although the hotness of chile peppers varies with the variety, it also is influenced by climate, cultural conditions and degree of maturity. To produce the very hottest peppers, start by selecting hot types from the list above and then consider the growing conditions. Peppers cultivated in a hot climate with days in the 95 degree range are spicier than those grown where days are in the 70s. Drought-stricken chiles are hotter than those grown with lots of water. To turn up the heat in chiles, keep the water and nitrogen fertilizer to a minimum. Alternatively, if you prefer milder peppers, keep the plants well watered and provide afternoon shade in hot climates. A general rule of thumb is the riper the chile, the hotter it is. That said, ripe peppers have a different flavor than unripe ones. Let your personal taste and the recipe determine when to pick each pepper.

Chile peppers are relatively healthy and have only occasional pest problems. Potential insect pests include aphids, white flies, cutworms, pepper maggots and Colorado potato beetles. Diseases include verticillium wilt and tobacco mosaic virus. The latter is often spread by aphids. Since there is no cure for tobacco mosaic or other virus diseases, prevention via aphid control is the best way to manage them. Refer to MU Guide 6372 for additional information on pepper pests and their control.

Always use caution when handling hot peppers in that capsaicin can burn the skin and eyes. The latter is evidenced by the fact capsaicin is the active ingredient in hot pepper spray, a human deterrent. To protect your hands, use disposable latex gloves. Never touch your face near your eyes, mouth, or nasal passages when handling chiles. If you accidentally get pepper juice in your eye immediately wash it out with clean cool water. And if you eat too fiery a pepper, get some relief by eating yogurt, ice cream or milk.

Thin-walled chiles can be dried in a warm, arid place or dehydrator until brittle dry. Store the dried chiles in airtight containers. Roast Poblano, Anaheim and New Mexico chiles and then peel and put in zippered plastic freezer bags and freeze for up to six months.

Credit: National Garden Bureau

David Trinklein
Assoc. Professor Plant Sciences