
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 Pepper | Over 1,000,000,000 |
African Bird’s Eye/ African Devil | 175,000 |
Ají Amarillo | 30,000-50,000 |
Aji chili pepper | 1,177 - 75,000 |
Ají Limo | 30,000-50,000 |
Ají Panca | 500 |
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 Jolokia | 1,001,304 |
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 1 | 15,000-30,000 |
Chile de Árbol chili pepper Type 2 | 50,000-65,000 |
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 Pepper | 1,086,844 |
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 Pepper | 1,176,182 |
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 Jeanette | 225,000 |
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 Viper | 1,382,118 |
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 Scorpion | 1,191,595 |
NewMex Joe E Parker chili pepper | 1,500-3,000 |
NewMex R Naky chili pepper | 250-750 |
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 pepper | 1,177 |
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 pepper | 75,000 |
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 pepper | 0 |
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 T | 1,463,700 |
Trinidad Scorpion chili pepper | 300,000+ |