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Chilies so hot hot....
Chilies add great taste and flavor when added in any kind of food. Most Americans love chili and most have their own favorite recipe. Chili has been known in America since the early 1800s and they have their roots in Spanish cuisine. It was originally a food for those who couldn't afford good cuts of meat, or for the pioneers going west. They used dried beef, fat, salt and Chile peppers together to form "chili bricks" which were then cooked out on the trail. In mild climates the peppers can be grown as perennials, but most folks grow them as warm-season annuals.
Famous varieties of Chilies:
- Anaheim: This is a large chili great to cook. Mostly used for Salads, Sauces, BBQ's, Roast or stuff with cheese.
- Joes Long: This works great in pizza toppings. They are long and thin, hottest when red, however also used fresh when green.
- Heatwave: A general all round hot chili beautifully ornamental and offering a 'mind blowing' hot flavor experience. Found in two colors yellow or red.
- Hungarian Hot: Early, hot variety, vigorous and quick growing. Produces long, conical light green fruits turning yellow when ripe. An incredibly versatile pepper that can be eaten young and very mild, or left to mature and develop heat.
- Hot Lemon: This is a Crisp yellow chili with a nice lemon flavor. This goes great with fish especially.
- Indian PC: This is one of the hottest Indian chilies.
- Jalapeno: Bullet shaped with a soft smooth skin and a hot vegetable flavor the Jalapeno is probably one of the world's best known chilies. Mostly used in Soups and stews or roasted and stuffed with cheese.
- Chipotles: Chipotles chilies have a smoky, sweet flavor and are made by drying and smoking a Jalapeno chili.
- Orange Habanero: Extensively used in Caribbean cooking this extremely hot chilly has a lovely flavor beneath the heat.
- Caribbean Red Hot: It's widely believed to be the hottest chili in the world. This can be used when green but they are at their hottest when ripened to red.
- Thai Dragon: This small chili is used in Thai cooking. They are also added to picking onions to give that extra bite.
- Thailand: This chili can be used whole year round after getting dry.
- Thai Bangkok: A very hot chili that ripens to a reddish purple color. Good to dry and string up in the kitchen
- Padron: These peppers are very popular in Tapas bars. Mild with the occasional hot one that sneaks in. Fry in olive oil, drain and sprinkle with sea salt and eat with your fingers. It's so Delicious.
- Bell peppers: Bell peppers are mild in pungency and originated about from South America. Bell peppers are received their name from the bell shape and available in bright colors of green, red, orange, yellow, purple, brown and black.
- Mirasol: Mirasol are extremely beautiful to look at with its rich smooth shinning red skin, oval shaped with high pungency. When dried it become red chili.
What make chilies hot?
Chilies are so very famous for its heat but have you ever thought what makes it hot? The heat of Chilies comes from the white fibrous membranes that contain a substance called capsaicin. When the capsaicin is eaten it stimulates the brain to release endorphins into the bloodstream, creating a natural high similar to that which athletes experience. Capsaicin also stimulates the appetite, helps to clear the lungs, improves circulation and acts as a painkiller for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. The general rule is that the smaller, narrower and darker the chili, the greater its pungency. Even chilies from the same bush can vary in intensity. The tip of the chilli is its mildest point so if you want to test a chilli for hotness, cut the tip and tastes it cautiously." Anaheim and Fresno are very mild chili and Tabasco, Habanero are the hottest pone.
So next time when you go to the store chose the chilies according to your taste, now that you know what all the varieties mean!
(Sources: healthspas.co.za, chillies2u.co.uk, chilly.in, wisegeek.com)
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