Chili Pepper

Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet as far back human history exist. The most recent research shows that chili peppers were domesticated more than 8000 years ago in the Indian Sub-continent.

The chili pepper features heavily in the cuisine of the Goan, Bengal, and Bihar region of India. Chili peppers journeyed from India, through Central Asia and Turkey, to Hungary, where they became the national spice in the form of paprika. People traded Chili Peppers through the Silk Road for over thousands of years.

Peppers are commonly broken down into three groupings: bell peppers, sweet peppers, and hot peppers. Most popular pepper varieties are seen as falling into one of these categories or as a cross between them.

The substances that give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically are capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. Capsaicin is also the primary component in pepper spray, a less-than-lethal weapon.

The substances that give chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically are capsaicin and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids.

The "heat" of chili peppers was historically measured in Scoville heat units (SHU), which is a measure of the dilution of an amount of chili extract added to sugar syrup before its heat becomes undetectable to a panel of tasters; the more it has to be diluted to be undetectable, the more powerful the variety and therefore the higher the rating.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.
There are many, many varieties of chili peppers, and they often have different names depending on region. 

 

 

Name of Chili Pepper

Scovilles
7-Pot Chili PepperOver 1,000,000,000
African Bird’s Eye/ African Devil175,000
Ají Amarillo 30,000-50,000
Aji chili pepper 1,177 - 75,000
Ají Limo 30,000-50,000
Ají Panca500
Aleppo About 10,000
Anaheim chili pepper 500 - 1,000
Ancho chili pepper 1,000 - 2,000
Bahamian chili pepper 95,000-110,000
Baker's Hot chili pepper 15,000-30,000
Banana pepper 0-500
Bhut Jolokia1,001,304
Bird’s Eye 50,000-100,000
Bishop’s Crown chili pepper 5,000-30,000
Bolivian Rainbow chili pepper 10,000-30,000
Caribbean Red Habanero 300,000 - 475,000
Carolina Cayenne chili pepper 100,000-125,000
Cascabel chili peppers 1,000-3,000
Cayenne pepper 30,000 - 50,000
Charleston Hot chili pepper 70,000-100,000
Cherry pepper 100 - 500
Chilaca 1,000-2,500
Chile de Árbol chili pepper Type 115,000-30,000
Chile de Árbol chili pepper Type 250,000-65,000
Chile Pequin chili pepper 30,000-60,000
Chiltepin chili pepper 50,000 to 100,000
Chimayo chili pepper 4,000-6,000
Chipotle chili pepper 2,500 - 8,000
Chocolate Habanero chili pepper 300,000-425,000
Coronado chili pepper 700-1,000
Cubanelle chili pepper 0 - 1,000
Datil 100,000 – 300,000
Devil's Tongue 125,000-325,000
Diablo Grande chili pepper 60,000-100,000
Dundicut chili pepper 55,000-65,000
Espanola chili pepper 1,500-2,000
Fatalii 125,000-325,000
Fresno chili pepper 2,500-10,000
Gibralta/Spanish Naga Chili Pepper1,086,844
Guajillo chili pepper 2,500-5,000
Guntur Sannam chili pepper 35,000-40,000
Habanero chili pepper 100,000 - 350,000
Hatch chili peppers 1,000 - 2,500
Hidalgo chili pepper 6,000-17,000
Hungarian Wax 5,000-15,000
Infinity Chili Pepper1,176,182
Jalapeno chili pepper 2,500 - 8,000
Jamaican Hot 100,000-200,000
Jwala Finger Hot chili pepper 20,000-30,000
Lemon Drop Chil Pepper 15,000-30,000
Madame Jeanette225,000
Malagueta chili pepper 60,000-100,000
Mirasol chili pepper 2,500-5,000
Morita chili pepper 2,500 - 8,000
Mulato chili pepper 2,500-3,000
Naga Viper1,382,118
New Mex Big Jim chili pepper 2,500-3,000
New Mex XX Hot chili pepper 60,000-70,000
New Mexico 6-4 Heritage chili pepper 3,000-5,000
New Mexico Scorpion1,191,595
NewMex Joe E Parker chili pepper 1,500-3,000
NewMex R Naky chili pepper250-750
Paprika chili pepper 250 - 1000
Pasilla chili pepper 250 - 3,999
Pepperoncini chili pepper 100-500
Peter Pepper 5,000-30,000
Picuante/ Peppadew chili pepper1,177
Pimento (or Pimiento) chili pepper 100 - 500
Poblano chili pepper 1,000 - 2,000
Purple Jalapeno chili pepper 2,500 - 8,000
Puya chili pepper 5,000-8,000
Red Amazon chili pepper75,000
Red Savina Habanero 200,000 - 580,000
Rocotillo chili pepper 1,500-2,500
Rocoto chili pepper 30,000 - 100,000
Sandia chili pepper 5,000-7,000
Santa Fe Grande chili pepper 500 - 700
Santaka chili pepper 40,000-50,000
Scotch bonnet 100,000 - 350,000
Serrano pepper 5,000 - 23,000
Shipkas chili pepper 5,000-30,000
Sonora chili pepper 300–600
Super Chili chili pepper 40,000-50,000
Sweet bell pepper0
Tabasco pepper 30,000 - 50,000
Tabiche chili pepper 85,000-115,000
Thai chili pepper 50,000 - 100,000
Tien Tsin pepper 50,000 - 75,000
Tiger Paw NR chili pepper 265,000-328,000
Trinidad Perfume chili pepper 0-500
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T1,463,700
Trinidad Scorpion chili pepper 300,000+