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+