In the News
Firecracker Peppers
by Chef Diane Bukatman
January 14, 2005
Whoever said that July 4th fireworks had to be relegated to the stupendous displays of color and light we see in the night skies? What of the stupendous bursts of flavor, color and sheer exhilaration we get from biting into a wildly flavorful chili pepper?
Bet you never thought of those fireworks, huh? Well, quite honestly, neither had I until my husband mentioned that he’s always associated July 4th with hot peppers. I thought it odd, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Fireworks explode in the sky in a rush of sparkle and sizzle – much the way a hot pepper explodes in your mouth. And if the pepper is really hot – like maybe a scotch bonnet or a Thai pepper, then you’ll probably see some of those incredible colors and stars as well!
All peppers get their fire from an alkaline substance known as capsaicin. From the Greek word, kapto, “to bite”, capsaicin is found in its highest concentration in the ribs of the pepper, and slightly less so in the seeds. It’s also found in smaller amounts throughout the flesh of the pepper, and since it's distributed unevenly it's not uncommon for some areas of a pepper to be hotter than others.
Capsaicin is so potent that a mere drop of it diluted in 100,000 drops of water can sauce blisters on the tongue! Youch! But, don’t let that scare you off of hot peppers. Most peppers, regardless of where they fall on the heat spectrum ~ from the sweet, peppery Hungarian cherry pepper used for paprika, to the fruity, hot habañero ~ reward you with wonderful, complex flavors along with the occasional blast of heat.
A pepper rule of thumb is the smaller the pepper, the hotter the chili, but it’s not all hit or miss. Peppers’ heat is rated by something called Scoville Heat Units. The ratings go from 0 (no capsaicin), for a sweet bell or Italian pepper all the way to 577,000 for a “Red Savina” habañero pepper, the hottest pepper on record! Most Americans’ palates top out at about 2,500 for a jalapeno or 3,500 – 4,500 for a smoky chipotle. Personally, I am addicted to Tabasco sauce, made from the tabasco pepper, which clocks in at a whopping 8,000, but once you’ve tempered it with lots of vinegar, it’s almost mild.
Mark Miller, owner of “Red Sage” restaurant, in Washington thinks we, as Americans, need to expand our pepper-palate. He suggests rather than eating chili peppers straight up, using them as flavoring agents to stimulate the brain. As he says, “as food becomes more interesting, you become more interested in flavors”.
Okay, so you’ve lit the fuse, set off those fireworks, but they just won’t stop exploding. Don’t run for the water!! Capsaicin is an oil, and we all know what happens when you mix oil and water. Quench the flames instead with some yogurt, milk or sour cream. They contain casein, the most potent way to neutralize capsaicin. You can also try bread or rice. They work by soaking up the capsaicin oils left on your tongue.
By weight, green bell peppers have twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruit. Red peppers have three times as much, and hot peppers contain even more vitamin C ~ 357% more than an orange! Hot peppers can stimulate digestion, tone the cardiovascular system and reduce cholesterol.
And, when you’ve strained those muscles in your next looking up at the fireworks in the sky, bear in mind that the
HEET you’ll rub on your neck later works due to capsaicin, which dulls the nerves causing the pain.
To Read another Article, Click Here
by Chef Diane Bukatman
January 14, 2005
Whoever said that July 4th fireworks had to be relegated to the stupendous displays of color and light we see in the night skies? What of the stupendous bursts of flavor, color and sheer exhilaration we get from biting into a wildly flavorful chili pepper?Bet you never thought of those fireworks, huh? Well, quite honestly, neither had I until my husband mentioned that he’s always associated July 4th with hot peppers. I thought it odd, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Fireworks explode in the sky in a rush of sparkle and sizzle – much the way a hot pepper explodes in your mouth. And if the pepper is really hot – like maybe a scotch bonnet or a Thai pepper, then you’ll probably see some of those incredible colors and stars as well!
All peppers get their fire from an alkaline substance known as capsaicin. From the Greek word, kapto, “to bite”, capsaicin is found in its highest concentration in the ribs of the pepper, and slightly less so in the seeds. It’s also found in smaller amounts throughout the flesh of the pepper, and since it's distributed unevenly it's not uncommon for some areas of a pepper to be hotter than others.
Capsaicin is so potent that a mere drop of it diluted in 100,000 drops of water can sauce blisters on the tongue! Youch! But, don’t let that scare you off of hot peppers. Most peppers, regardless of where they fall on the heat spectrum ~ from the sweet, peppery Hungarian cherry pepper used for paprika, to the fruity, hot habañero ~ reward you with wonderful, complex flavors along with the occasional blast of heat.
A pepper rule of thumb is the smaller the pepper, the hotter the chili, but it’s not all hit or miss. Peppers’ heat is rated by something called Scoville Heat Units. The ratings go from 0 (no capsaicin), for a sweet bell or Italian pepper all the way to 577,000 for a “Red Savina” habañero pepper, the hottest pepper on record! Most Americans’ palates top out at about 2,500 for a jalapeno or 3,500 – 4,500 for a smoky chipotle. Personally, I am addicted to Tabasco sauce, made from the tabasco pepper, which clocks in at a whopping 8,000, but once you’ve tempered it with lots of vinegar, it’s almost mild.
Mark Miller, owner of “Red Sage” restaurant, in Washington thinks we, as Americans, need to expand our pepper-palate. He suggests rather than eating chili peppers straight up, using them as flavoring agents to stimulate the brain. As he says, “as food becomes more interesting, you become more interested in flavors”.
Okay, so you’ve lit the fuse, set off those fireworks, but they just won’t stop exploding. Don’t run for the water!! Capsaicin is an oil, and we all know what happens when you mix oil and water. Quench the flames instead with some yogurt, milk or sour cream. They contain casein, the most potent way to neutralize capsaicin. You can also try bread or rice. They work by soaking up the capsaicin oils left on your tongue.
By weight, green bell peppers have twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruit. Red peppers have three times as much, and hot peppers contain even more vitamin C ~ 357% more than an orange! Hot peppers can stimulate digestion, tone the cardiovascular system and reduce cholesterol.
And, when you’ve strained those muscles in your next looking up at the fireworks in the sky, bear in mind that the
HEET you’ll rub on your neck later works due to capsaicin, which dulls the nerves causing the pain.
To Read another Article, Click Here
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