Chilies are the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Chili pepper pods, which are berries, are used fresh or dried. Chiles are often dried to preserve them for long periods of time. Preserving may also be done by pickling fresh chilies.
Dried chilies are often ground to powders, although some Mexican dishes including variations on chiles rellenos may use whole reconstituted chilies, and others may reconstitute dried chilies before grinding to a paste. Chilies may be dried using smoke, such as the chipotle, which is the smoked, dried form of the jalapeño.
Many fresh chilies such as poblano have a tough outer skin which does not break down on cooking. For recipes where chiles are used whole or in large slices, roasting, or other means of blistering or charring the skin are usually performed so as not to entirely cook the flesh beneath. When cooled, the skins will usually slip off easily.
Intensity of Chiles
The substances that give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically are capsaicin and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. Capsaicin is the primary ingredient in the pepper spray used as an irritant weapon.
When consumed, capsaicinoids bind with pain receptors in the mouth and throat that are responsible for sensing heat. Once activated by the capsaicinoids, these receptors send a message to the brain that the person has consumed something hot. The brain responds to the burning sensation by raising the heart rate, increasing perspiration and release of endorphins (a natural painkiller). Athletes run for miles to stimulate endorphin release and achieve a runner’s high. People eat gobs and gobs of chocolate to get their endorphin fix and ease the stress of their day.
The "heat" of chili peppers was historically measured in Scoville heat units (SHU), which is a measure of how much a chili extract must be diluted in sugar syrup before its heat becomes undetectable to a panel of tasters. Bell peppers rank at 0 SHU, New Mexico green chilis at about 1,500 SHU, jalapeños at 2,500–5,000 SHU, and habaneros at 300,000 SHU. The modern commonplace method for quantitative analysis of SHU rating uses high-performance liquid chromatography to directly measure the capsaicinoid content of a chili pepper variety. Pure capsaicin is a hydrophobic, colorless, odorless, and crystalline-to-waxy solid at room temperature, and measures 16,000,000 SHU.
Pungency | Scoville units | Example pepper |
almost none | ~ 500 | Pasilla |
very mild | ~ 1,000 | Anaheim |
mild | ~ 2,000 | Poblano, aka Ancho |
medium | ~ 5,000 | |
hot | ~ 15,000 | Serrano |
very hot | ~ 40,000 | Cayenne |
searing hot | ~ 100,000 | Habanero |
nuclear | ~ 400,000 | Caribbean Red, aka Red Savina |
beyond hot | ~1,000,000 | Naga Jolokia |
Guides to Chiles
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