ALL ABOUT PEPPERS
What is a more fitting subject for Cinco de Mayo than peppers? Actually, peppers are a fascinating subject. Everyone is familiar with them. Most people even have favorite go-tos for different levels of heat mild, medium, hot, and extra hot for the brave. Yet, few are familiar with the whole category. I’ve met Latinos, and chefs who still have to check references for substitute recipe ingredients.
Peppers are native to Latin America. The Spanish and Portuguese explorers introduced pepper plants to Europe, along with tomatoes, corn and beans. They were quickly adapted by the major cuisines of the world and their popularity only increased with time. Truly international in their appeal they are now integral to dishes from every country. All peppers are part of the genus Capsicum, which includes hot varieties, also known as chile peppers, and sweet varieties, such as bell peppers.
In this post, I list the 20 most popular peppers, internationally, for cooking according to Epicurious, the web site for Bon Appetit magazine (https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/20-types-of-peppers-and-their-uses-article) To quote from Epicurious: “No matter what pepper you choose, you’ll reap powerful health benefits thanks to peppers’ unique nutritional profiles. Not only are peppers are a good source of vitamins A, C, and E, they’re also rich in folate and potassium, low in sodium, low in carbohydrates, and high in minerals. Because they contain capsaicin, they have been studied for their ability to stimulate circulation and as a way to medicate arthritis”.
I’m including their links to recipes for each pepper under its description should you want to see an illustration of the use or try one. If you are unable to find fresh or dried chiles in your local grocery store, try an online source.
I’ve altered Epicurious’ listing and arranged them according to their Scoville scores. The heat of a pepper is measured using Scoville units. The Scoville Scale is a good indicator of how hot a chile is, ranging from 0 as in bell peppers all the way to 1,000,000 + as in the Ghost Pepper but know that the heat can vary according to climate and vegetation. Most dried chiles you will encounter fall somewhere in the middle but can still pack a punch. Also note some peppers have a wider heat range. The infamous Scotch Bonnet‘s index can start lower than the Rocoto or the Habanero but run higher than either.
If you want the flavor without the mouth-scorching fire, remove the seeds and interior ribs from a chile before cooking. It’s also a good idea to have dairy products, such as milk or yogurt, on hand—they contain casein, which helps neutralize capsaicin, the chemical that gives chiles their heat. Always protect your skin by wearing gloves and never touch your eyes when handling peppers.
THE LIST
1. Bell Pepper
Alternate Names: Green pepper, red pepper, sweet bell pepper, capsicum
Characteristics: Relatively large in size, the bell-shaped pepper in its immature state is green with a slightly bitter flavor. As it matures, it turns bright red and becomes sweeter. You can also find yellow, orange, white, pink, and even purple varieties. With their high water content, bell peppers will add moisture to any dish. They’re also great for adding color.
Scoville heat units: 0
Recipes to Try:
Bell Pepper and Goat Cheese Strata
2. Basque Fryer
Alternate Names: Doux long des Landes, doux de Landes and piment basque
Characteristics: Located on the border of France and Spain, the Basque region boasts six official types of peppers. The most popular type is the Basque Fryer pepper, also known as the doux de Landes, meaning “sweet from Landes.” (Landes is located in southwest France). As the name suggests, the pepper is sweet. The Basque fryer is can be eaten raw, roasted or sautéed.
Scoville heat units: 0
3. Banana Pepper
Alternate Names: Yellow wax pepper and banana chili
Characteristics: This mild yet tangy pepper adds a kick to pizza or sandwiches. This pepper usually takes on a bright yellow hue as it ripens, but occasionally grows to be red, orange or green instead.
Scoville heat units: 0–500
Recipes to try:
Mexican-style Cream of Spinach
Green Melon, Cubanelle Peppers and Ricotta Salata
4. Shishito
Characteristics: Harvested while still green, these thin-walled peppers can be pan-seared and eaten on their own. They can also be added to pizza or to flavor dishes. The riper the shishito, the spicier the pepper.
Scoville heat units: 50 to 200
Recipes to try:
Shishito Pepper Potato Hash with Fried Eggs
Grilled Chicken Wings with Shishito Peppers and Herbs
5. Cherry Pepper
Alternate names: Pimiento and pimento
Characteristics: This lovely pepper is sweet on the outside and the inside. Bright red and shaped like a heart, this large pepper barely registers on the Scoville scale, but makes up for its lack of spice with a sweet, succulent flavor. You’ll commonly find cherry peppers chopped and stuffed into green olives, in pimento loaves and pimento cheese.
Scoville heat units: 500
Recipes to try:
Beef Tartare with Cherry Peppers
Spicy and Greasy Rhode Island Calamari
6. Piquillo
Alternate Names: Little beak pepper
Characteristics: This mild, sweet pepper hails from northern Spain and features a smokey, tart flavor that’s ideal for sandwiches and sauces, and also thrives as a compliment to meat and cheese. You’ll often find them jarred in your grocer’s gourmet section. As they mature, they grow from green to red. They measure three to four inches long and are slightly curved at the end, resembling a little beak.
Scoville heat units: 500 to 1,000
Recipes to try:
Crunchy Eggs with Piquillo Peppers
Grilled Portobello Burgers with Piquillo Pepper Aïoli and Watercress
Piquillo Pepper and Sardine Tartines
7. Anaheim Pepper
Alternate Names: California green chile, chile verde, New Mexican chile
Characteristics: This long pepper is relatively mild and very versatile. When mature, the Anaheim turns deep red and are referred to a chile Colorado or California red chile. Anaheims are popular in salsas and dishes from the American Southwest.
Scoville heat units: 500 to 2,500
Recipes to try:
8. Padrón Peppers
Characteristics: Padrón peppers are typically sweet and mild, but occasionally, a this pepper packs quite a bit of spice. The eponymous pepper grows in Padrón in northwestern Spain, and is often served, fried, as a tapa. They can also be served grilled.
Scoville heat units: 500 – 2,500
Recipes to try:
Charred Padrón Chiles and Squid Salad
Padrón Peppers Stuffed with Tetilla Cheese
9. Poblano Pepper
Alternate Name: Ancho
Characteristics: Somewhat large and heart-shaped, the poblano is common in Mexican dishes such as chiles rellenos. Are poblano peppers spicy? Yes, but only mildly spicy. At maturity, the poblano turns dark red-brown and can be dried, at which point it’s referred to as an ancho or mulato. Anchos have a rich, raisin-like sweetness. The high yield of flesh to skin makes anchos great for sauces.
Scoville heat units: 1,000 to 2,000
Recipes to try:
Potato- and Chorizo-Stuffed Ancho Chiles
10. Chilaca
Alternate Names: Pasilla and chile negro
Characteristics: Black and wrinkly, chilacas boast a prune-like flavor with a hint a hint of licorice. “Chilaca” is an Aztec term meaning old or gray-haired, which is fitting given the pepper’s wrinkly appearance. When dried, the chilaca is called a pasilla or chile negro, and is toasted or soaked and blended into sauces, often combined with fruit.
Scoville heat units: 1,500 to 2,500
Recipes to Try:
Turkey Leg Confit Tacos with Pasilla Purée and Pickled Peach Salsa
Mussels in Pasilla Broth with Corn, Jícama, and Cilantro
11. Mirasol Chili
Alternate Names: Guajillo
Characteristics: Bright red and pointed upward, these peppers grow toward the sun, which is why they were given the name mirasol (which means “looking at the sun” in Spanish). In their dried form, they are called guajillo. Guajillo are fruity, tangy, and mildly acidic, and are a common ingredient in traditional al pastor. They are also one of the main chilis used in mole sauce.
Scoville Heat Units: 2,500 to 5,000
Recipes to Try:
Shredded Beef in Guajillo Sauce
12. Jalapeño Pepper
Alternate Names: Chipotle
Scoville heat units: 3,500 to 8,000
Characteristics: This Mexican pepper is typically plucked from the vine while still green. If allowed to ripen more, they will turn red and take on a slightly fruity flavored. Jalapeños are a tasty ingredient commonly used to in salsa and sauces. When dried, a jalapeño is called a chipotle. Smoke-dried chipotles come in two varieties: meco (mellow) and moritas (spicier). Smoky, woodsy, and spicy, chipotles are the perfect ingredient for salsas, sauces, escabeche, and adobo.
Recipes to try:
Jalapeño Poppers with Smoked Gouda
Plantain-Stuffed Chipotle Chiles
Jalapeño Cheeseburgers with Bacon and Grilled Onions
13. Serrano Pepper
Characteristics: Just a couple of inches long, with a tapered end, this small pepper packs quite a bit of heat. Beware: The smaller the pepper, the hotter it is. When ripe, serranos are red or yellowish orange—they can be cooked in both their ripe and unripe states. Serranos are common in Mexican and Thai cooking.
Scoville heat units: 6,000 to 23,000
Recipes to try:
Serrano Ham and Swiss Cheese Frittata
Serrano Chips with Quince Preserves and Manchego
14. Cayenne Pepper
Alternate Names: Finger chile, Ginnie pepper, and bird pepper
Characteristics: Slender and tapered, this chile is probably most familiar in its dried, ground form—the powder known as cayenne pepper. Ground cayenne pepper is a main ingredient in the chili powder that flavors Tex-Mex dishes such as chili con carne. It’s one of the spiciest types of peppers!
Scoville heat units: 30,000 to 50,000
Recipes to try:
Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce
15. Tabasco Pepper
Characteristics: Best known for the sauce that bares its name, this pepper grows throughout the world. At maturity, the pepper measures one to two inches and is bright red. To create the famous tabasco sauce, the pepper is smashed and combined with salt and vinegar, which tempers the pepper’s heat (the Scoville rating of tabasco sauce is 2,500 to 5,000 — a mere fraction of its rating as a pepper).
Scoville heat units: 30,000 to 60,000
Recipes to try:
Crispy Chicken Sandwich with Buttermilk Slaw and Herbed Mayo
16. Piri Piri
Alternate Names: Peri peri, African bird’s-eye pepper and African red devil pepper
Characteristics: When Portuguese sailors made port of call in what’s now South Africa and Mozambique, they brought ashore little chile peppers called bird’s eyes, or peri-peri in Swahili. The name also came to refer to the piquant sauce made from these chiles, as well as to the Portuguese-African method of cooking prawns, chicken, or anything else in this sauce. Nando’s bottled version is a mainstay for those who don’t want to make it from scratch. Though it’s a relatively small pepper, growing only one to two inches, it packs quite a punch.
Scoville Heat Units: 50,000 to 175,000
Recipes to Try:
17. Scotch Bonnet
Alternate Names: Bonney peppers, ball of fire peppers, cachucha and Caribbean red peppers
Characteristics: This spicy pepper is called a scotch bonnet thanks to its resemblance to the caps men wear in Scotland (tam o’ shanter hats, to be precise). It’s the hottest pepper in the Caribbean and used to flavor all sorts of island dishes, including jerk chicken. Though the pepper is most often spicy, you will occasionally find a sweet variety, called cachucha.
Scoville heat units: 80,000–400,000
Recipes to try:
Grilled Jerk Chicken with Scotch Bonnet Sauce and Mango Chutney
18. Rocoto Pepper
Alternate names: Ají rocoto, hairy pepper and locoto
Characteristics: This South American pepper looks like a miniature bell pepper, and, like a bell pepper, can come in shades of orange, yelllow and red. The hottest rocotos are typically yellow, but red rocotos are the most common. Inside, the pepper has unique black seeds. It’s sometimes referred to as the hairy pepper thanks to its furry leaves. Rocoto have a crisp and fruity flavor, and are commonly used in salsa.
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Scoville heat units: 100,000 to 250,000
Recipe to try:
Escolar Fish with Mango and Shrimp Ravioli
19. Habañero Pepper
Characteristics: Small and bulbous, this chile, in the same family as the Scotch bonnet, is one of the hottest on the Scoville scale. If you can get past the heat, habañeros also have a fruity flavor. They’re popular on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and in the Caribbean, where they’re used to make hot sauces.
Scoville heat units: 150,000 to 350,000
Recipes to try:
Tamarind-Glazed Black Cod with Habañero Orange Salsa
Habañero-Marinated Pork Chops With Mustard Greens Slaw
20. Ghost Pepper
Alternate names: Bhut naga jolokia, bhut jolokia, naga jolokia, ghost chili, U-morok, ghost jolokia and red naga
Characteristics: Sometimes called Bhut Naga Jolokia (bhut means ghost, naga means snake, and jolokia is chile), the name alone sounds daunting. This chile has a venomous bite! The ghost pepper hails from Northeastern India and is also cultivated in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. So how hot is this hair raiser? With more than 1 million Scoville units, it’s approximately half as hot as the pepper spray used by law enforcement but 100 times hotter than a jalapeño. One of the hottest (edible) peppers in the world, ghost peppers are used — sparingly — in chutney and curry.
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Scoville heat units: 1,000,000+
Recipe to try:
