Red Hot Chili Pepper Research Spices Up Historical Record

Eureka Alert ^ | 2-15-2007 | Gregory Harris - U Of Calgary

[Graybeard58]

Oh man...........I feel really bad, I knew there was someone else (or two)that I forgot to ping to this thread..

How quickly they forget.

Habaneros are among my foavorite chiles........the taste is really awesome - if you can get past the burn :)

Yep, mine too but the pepper so many people are fond of is the jalepeno and I think they are the nastiest tasting peppers out there.

For a milder pepper I like the taste of the cayanne too. (I know I didn't spell that right) but for whatever reason, they don't grow well in my soil.

[Gabz]

Put don't breathe the smoke comin' off the wok. You'll choke horribly!

Been there, done that also!!!!

When I'm making jelly with the habaneros I have to keep a window open - that's a bit rough at this time of the year!!!!

[Edgar3]

Is it true that the alkaloids in hot peps can ease stomach acid? I hate payin' for Prevacid!

You know, that has been ABSOLUTELY true in my experience. I used to have bad reflux, but now I have no problems.

[Edgar3]

What kind do you sell?

I carry all of the major gourmet, i.e. non-grocery store type brands. Dave's Gourmet, Blair's Death Sauces, Ass Kickin', Mad Dog, Original Juan, you name it. Over 800 items at this point.

[Edgar3]

I'm one of your biggest fans...

It's good to be PyroMan...

[Edgar3]

Any recommendations?

What type of peppers do you like? Also, how hot? Do you like sweet caribbean type sauces, more bitter habanero or vinegar based, Louisiana style?

[wolfcreek]

Chili Paquines (tiny, round and very hot) grow wild in Taos, NM.(supposedly for 5000 yrs.) I believe there is a preserve dedicated to them there.


We have them growing wild in our yard in Texas. Don't know if they were planted here but, I heard a story saying, Mocking birds are the only creature who eat them. Supposedly, the peppers pass through the birds system whole and that's how they are spread. Anyone know more about them?

[Gabz]

If making salsa with habaneros, try using orange juice or pineapple.

Another good one is mango. I've noticed that on many of the habanero hot sauces, carrots are a common ingredient.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

I understand the recipes were so valuable that a tribal chef would Fight Like A Brave to protect his.

[Doomonyou]

Nectar of the Gods!

[Gabz]

Yep, mine too but the pepper so many people are fond of is the jalepeno and I think they are the nastiest tasting peppers out there.

When going through my seeds last week, to ready for starting them I actually discovered I have NONE.

For a milder pepper I like the taste of the cayanne too. (I know I didn't spell that right) but for whatever reason, they don't grow well in my soil.

I've never had much luck growing cayennes either. My husband really likes serranos (I doubt that is spelled right either LOL)

[Graybeard58]

I grow mainly habeneros and use them for salsa and dry and crush some for cooking. Last season I had 60 habenero plants. I've mailed a lot of the flakes to F.R. members at no charge, I even pay the postage. Not a profitable venture. It's a hobby for me.

I live in central Illinois and don't have a long enough growing season to start from seed and no place inside to start them, so I buy plants at a nursery at about $2.00 per plant. I'd have to charge a premium price to go commercial.

This past season as I was peeling and chopping tomatoes for salsa (also from my garden) I told my forgetful friend Gabz, that it might be helpful to find an illegal alien to do it for me but you can never find one when you really need him.

[Edgar3]

Nectar of the Gods!

Tru dat. That's been my #1 best selling item for 9 straight years! Dave Hirschkopf is actually a friend of mine. He is a very interesting and highly intelligent guy with a truly warped sense of humor! At the fiery foods show in Albuquerque he wears a straight jacket in his booth and just glares at people as they walk by. He lives in San Fran, so he's not likely to be on this site, but he's a great guy.

[RightWhale]

Right. The hot peppers were a big hit in Europe and soon everywhere. Some of the peppers they grow now would stun a bear.

[jslade]

[Edgar3]

Ha! Hey, i think that's me!

[Gabz]

I'll be happy to ship you all the illegals you need - free of charge and I'll pay the postage :)

Mother nature was not kind to me last year and I lost over 500 pepper and tomato plants. Hopefully I will do better this year.

[bert]

....I feel really bad.....

Have some chilis. I'm told the burn produces enzymes that make you feel good.

A prime reson for eating the hot stuff is feeling good.

[Doomonyou]

The HPLC analysis revealed that Orange Habanero had a mean (average) heat level of 357,729 SHU. That's quite a bit, but according to Dr. Bosland, this is in the range normally seen for this cultivar in Las Cruces, NM. (I once tasted Jalapeno peppers right from a field close to Las Cruces, and even those "ordinary" peppers were surprisingly hot.)

Now for Bhut Jolokia -- the analysis revealed that it possessed an extremely high heat level indeed, a whopping 1,001,304 SHU. That's a heat level you normally see only with ultra-hot sauces using pepper extract (capsicum oleoresin).

A different kind of surpise was the test result for Red Savina - it scored a rather low heat level of just 248,556 SHU. This means the SHU value for 'Bhut Jolokia' was four times higher than 'Red Savina' -- so much for "the world's current hottest chile pepper"

[Gabz]

LOL!!!!

I'm actually eating chips and salsa as I'm typing.