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“The chile, it seems to me, is one of the few foods that has its own goddess.” – Diana Kennedy, cookbook author

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Chili Species

Posted by Jon | Posted in chili facts | Posted on 09-06-2010

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To many, a chili pepper simply describes a small member of the Capsicum family that is ‘hot’ to the taste.

To the more adventurous lovers of the fiery pod, there are many different varients known by common names such as Jalapeno, Habanero and Scotch Bonnet with varying degrees of heat as determined by the Scoville Scale.

What is less well known however (with the exception of real chili devotees) is that each chili type comes from one of five main species of Capsicum (taken from the Greek word Kapto – ‘to bite’).

These five species are as follows:

Capsicum annum
Annums can be divided into two types, hot and sweet (or mild) and are the most cultivated throughout the world because they cross pollinate so easily. Many of the most commonly used chili types in North America and Europe are annums such as Ancho, Cayenne, Hungarian, Jalepeno and Thai Hot.

Capsicum baccatum
This species is now found throughout South America and believed to have originated in either Bolivia or Peru. It is particularly popular in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, but is rarely found in the United States, Asia or Europe. Typically, the fruits are long and thin with cream coloured seed. Perhaps the best known type is the Aji.

Capiscum chinense
The translation of the name is ‘from China’ however this is not the case. The species in fact originated from the Amazon and moved into the Caribbean followed by Central and South America. The confusion in name is down to a Dutch Botanist called Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin who believed China to be its origin when he named it in 1776. Common varients of the chinense are Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, Naga Jolokia and Aji dulce.

Capiscum frutescens
The name derives from the Latin meaning ‘shrub or bush’ and is native to the tropics. The origin is not totally clear, although claims are made that the Amazon basin is most likely. This species includes the famous Tabasco, named after the Mexican City of the same name. Other variants include Birdseye (common in Asia and Europe and often found in Thai cooking), Piri Piri and Malaguenta.

Capsicum pubescens
A medium sized pepper common in South America and originating in Bolivia. Pods are fleshy and usually very hot. The name drives from the Latin meaning “hairy”. They have a long growing season with the most common types being Rocoto and Manzanoi

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A Chili a Day keeps the Doctor Away

Posted by Jon | Posted in chili facts | Posted on 24-05-2010

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Chili not only tastes incredible in all manner of recipes, but it has a wide range of other benefits too – both psychological and medical.

For those with a stressful lifestyle or in need of relaxing, eating food containing chili can have a massive effect on the way you feel. Ingesting chili causes the body to release endorphines, which are basically brain chemicals which transmit electrical signals to the nervous system.These endorphins react with opiate receptors in the brain to reduce our perception of pain.

In addition to decreased feelings of pain, secretion of endorphins leads to feelings of euphoria, modulation of appetite, release of sex hormones, and enhancement of the immune response. With high endorphin levels, we feel less pain and fewer negative effects of stress. Endorphins have been suggested as modulators of the so-called “runner’s high” that athletes achieve with prolonged exercise.

As fresh chili also contains very high levels of vitamins A & C, it is also very good for us. In fact, a sweet red chili pepper actually contains more vitamin C than an orange.

In both fresh and powdered form, there is even evidence that points to the active ingredients in chili being responsible for a healthy immune system. A study in Manchester, England found that over a prolonged period, those who regularly consumed some form of chili at least twice a week were less likely to suffer from colds and flu than those that did not.

So, next time you are laid low, feeling stressed or simply in need of revitalization; forget the medicine cabinet – get some chili in your diet instead.

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Chili – A Confused Little Word

Posted by Jon | Posted in chili facts | Posted on 19-02-2010

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Chili! You would not believe one little word can cause such contention simply in its spelling. Whilst reviewing the possibilities for my new website last week, I was astonished to find so many variants. To the mind of an Englishman, there was only possibility, Chille, but in overall search results on the internet in the month of November 2009, only 25,000 used this morphology, where as over 7.5 million opted for the version chili. I initially put this down to the differences in UK and US English (colour/color, favourite/favorite), but not so. Chile, Chilli, Chily and Chilly were also far more popular than my proposed suggestion and by some way.

So which one is correct? It is by all accounts a common question and has indeed fueled many arguments over the subject. There are many accepted versions. Chile with an “e” at the end is the correct spelling in Spanish. Chili with an “i” at the end is the Americanised version. The “i” version began with the name of the dish “Carne con Chili,” meaning “Meat with Chile.” It evolved into “Chili con Carne” and then shortened to just “Chili.” The term ending with an “i” is widely accepted and is often used as the name for “Chili Powder.” The term “Chile” with an “e” is the more correct way to spell it. So there you have it. For me it makes little difference – chilies are chillis – we should just keep them that way

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