The pepper, or more precisely, chili, belongs to the nightshade family (a relative of eggplant, tomato, and potato) that was cultivated in Mexico and spread across the world.
Peppers hold an important place in kitchens everywhere: in Africa, peppers play a key role in pastes and spice blends, in central Europe, paprika (sweet dried and ground pepper) is essential, and in Asia (curry pastes and powders, kimchi, almost every Chinese dish), their use is extensive.
Their presence is so strong it is hard to imagine the world without them.
A chemistry lesson Capsaicin for everyone
The molecule responsible for the spiciness of peppers is called capsaicin. It binds to heat receptors in sensitive areas of the body (mouth, eyes, and other places) and activates them, causing the body to react as if exposed to high heat. Spiciness encourages sweating, sweating helps cool the body, which is why spicy foods are popular in hot regions.
Peppers without capsaicin are considered sweet peppers including red, orange, yellow, and green peppers commonly found in markets.
Tolerance to spiciness varies from person to person, and the more one consumes them, the higher the tolerance (though it weakens if not consumed regularly).
Spiciness is measured using a tool called the Scoville scale, named after the researcher Wilbur Scoville, who in the early last century proposed that spiciness can be measured.
Bell peppers and sweet bite peppers score 0 on the scale, mild hot peppers like green Anaheim score 2,500 units, moderately hot peppers like jalapeño score 5,000 Scoville units, and extremely hot peppers like habanero reach 350,000 Scoville units. Police pepper spray contains more than 5 million Scoville units.
Extinguishing heat
Despite instinct, water is not effective in cooling the burning sensation in the mouth. On the contrary, water spreads the capsaicin and intensifies the burning. Recommended solutions are dairy products, which contain an enzyme called casein that binds to capsaicin and removes it from the heat receptors (hence serving spicy food with yogurt or sour cream), or simply a slice of bread.
Types of peppers
- Sweet bite: Small and sweet, a great snack or side for lunch.
- Sweet peppers: The most common peppers, available in various colors, good for stuffing, roasting, and especially useful in salads.
- Padrón: Small and thin, with a particularly fresh and “green” taste.
- Jalapeño: Small but meaty, can be red (fruity) or green. Spiciness varies from mild to very hot. Smoked and dried jalapeños are called chipotle.
- Green Anaheim: A commonly used hot green pepper. It serves as a base for a variety of traditional dishes.
- Chili: Long and thin hot pepper, green or red, popular especially in Asian cuisines.
- Thai: There is a saying: the smaller the pepper, the hotter it is. These small green or red peppers are very hot and mainly used in curry pastes.
- Habanero: For those who enjoy extreme heat. Very popular in certain regions, and restaurants that use it require diners to sign a waiver for consuming the dish.