Spice Guide Entry For: Chilli

This is the description page for Chilli (Capsicum spp) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the spice: Chilli.

Chillies (also known as Chili, Chilé and Ají) are the fruit of the Capsicum members of the Solanaceae (deadly nightshade) family. The name itself is derived from Nahuatl (Aztec) language via the Spanish chilé. They all originate in the Americas, where they have been cultivated for at least 7500 yeras, though because of their culinary uses they are now grown all over the world. Christopher Columbus encountered them on his first voyage to the Carribean in 1492 and though he did not bring any back on that voyage (they were taken to Spain on his second voyage) he does wirte of a 'pepper' that the natives called Ají which was better in taste and nature that ordinary peppers. Wanting to prove that he had opened a new easterly route to the Indes Columbus was keen to associate Ají with Asian 'pepper'. From Mexico, at the time the Spanish colony that controlled commerce with Asia, chili peppers spread rapidly into the Philippines and then to India, China, Korea and Japan with the aid of European sailors. The new spice was quickly incorporated into the local cuisines. It seems to have entered India via the Portugese colony of Goa before journeying northwards through Central Asia and Turkey, to Hungary, where it became the national spice in the form of paprika (central image, left). In many countries the French word piment is often used for chillies, though more specifially this often refers to preserved chillies (either paste or pickled) sold in jars.

Numerous cultivars of the Capsicum plant exist and these range from Capsicum annuum, which includes many common varieties such as bell peppers, paprika, jalapeños, and the chiltepin; Capsicum frutescens, which includes the cayenne and tabasco peppers; Capsicum chinense, which includes the hottest peppers such as habañeros and Scotch bonnets; Capsicum pubescens, which includes the South American rocoto peppers and Capsicum baccatum, which includes the South American ají peppers.

Chilli peppers add both flavour and 'heat' to a dish. The heat being produced by capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) and several related chemicals, collectively called capsaicinoids. These are hydrophobic (water-hating) chemicals and this is why they tend to bury themselves into the surfaces of the palate and the mouth causing irritation (the burning sensation; indeed the chemical is produced by the plants to deter predation by animals). This is also why drinking water is ineffective as a way of eliminating the burning sensation. The capsaicinoids do not dissolve in water and are simply spread by it. However, foods rich in fat such as milk and yoghurt will eliminate the chemical (this is why yoghurt is served with many Indian dishes).

The 'heat' of foods is measured by special units, called Scoville units. Bell peppers rank at zero Scoville units, jalapeños at 3,000–6,000 Scoville units, and habaneros at 300,000 Scoville units. The current official Guinness Book of Records record for the highest Scoville rating for a chilli pepper goes to the Red Savina Habanero, measuring 577,000 units. Reports of a hotter pepper have circulated for many years, though and a recent report was made of a pepper from India called the Naga Jolokia measuring at 855,000 Scoville units but the validity of this claim is disputed. However, in April 2006 a report of the Naga Dorset pepper, a variety of the Naga Jolokia pepper cultivated exclusively by the Peppers by Post company in Dorset, England who claimed their pepper measured 923,000 SHU [note that pure capsaicin rates at 15,000,000 Scoville units]. Within the Chilli fruit itself, it is the stem end of the pod that contains the glands that produce the capsaicin, which then flows down through the pod. Removing the seeds and inner membranes is thus effective at reducing the heat of a pod.

Korean, Indian, Indonesian, Szechuan and Thai cuisines are particularly associated with the chilli pepper, although the plant was unknown in Asia until Europeans introduced it there. Dried red chilli (red, bottom) is a common ingredient in many Indian dishes and is also used, along with cumin and other spices to create Chilli Con Carne.

They probably became an essential component of the Mesoamarican diet (which relied on maize and beans as a staple) as the high vitamin C content of red peppers increase the uptake of non-haeme iron in diets containing little or no meat.

Capsicum annuum




This encompasses one of the largest species in the capsicum genus and includes everything from the bell pepper (which has no heat) to the Thai birds-eye chilli with a heat rating of between 80 000–150 000 Scoville Heat Units. Typical hot members of this species include:

Cayenne Pepper is a long thin Chilli which has only moderate heat (30 000–50 000 Scoville Heat Units) which is the commonest form of chilli seen in the UK. It was originally transported by the Chines to China and India, where it is used widely. This chilli is also often dried and ground into powder and Cayenne pepper as the powder is known is a staple of many store cupboards.

The Jalapeño Pepper is one of the classic chilli types. It is only of low heat (2 500–30 000 Scoville Heat Units) but is very popular in its pickled form as a condiment. Pickled, sliced, jalapeños are often used on pizzas. The smoke-dried form jalapeño is known as a chipotle and is very popular in South American cuisine.

Though derived from the Hungarian word for 'pepper' Paprika tends now to be used as a term to refer to a flavourful red spice derived from dried paprika chilli pods which have been selectively grown in Hungary for many centuries. These typically resemble miniature bell peppers but can also be more elongated in form. As a spice, paprika may be either smoked before grinding or may be ground as dried fruit (sweet paprika). Paprika is very closely related to Spanish Pimento and is typically only of moderate heat (up to 25 000 Scoville Heat Units).

Thai Birdseye Chillis are small, red and quite distinctive in form. Amongst the hottest of the Capsicum annuums they weigh in at 75 000–150 000 Scoville Heat Units and are typical of the cuisine of South East Asia. This is a versatile chilli with an interesting fruity taste and enough heat to make it useful in chillies and curries.

Capsicum frutescens




As a species Capsicum frutescens contains one of the most economically important chilli peppers; Tabasco which is used by the McIlhenny Company to make tobasco sauce. It also contains the African Bridseye chilli (or Piri-piri) which is a very common foodstuff in West Africa.

Piri-piri, peri-peri or peli-peli is the name used in Portuguese and a number of African languages to describe the African bird's-eye chilli (which is also known as African Devil and African Red Devil). This is a hot chilli which can score up to 175 000 on the Scoville Heat scale. In Brazil this chilli is known as malagueta. The chilli is very common in West African and Portugese cuisines and is often purchased dry and soaked over night before use. It is generally believed that the Arican bridseye chilli is Capsicum frutescens and is thus a relative of the Tabasco chilli. In West Africa it grows both wild and under cultivation. Along with Scotch Bonned chillies it is one of the components often used in West African 'Hot Pepper Sauce'. It should be noted that piri piri is often sun-dried thus the seeds are viable and it's possible to grow the chilli on your own windowsill from the dried fruit.

The Tabasco chilli is the classic example of Capsicum frutescens. A native of Mexico it only has moderate heat (30 000–50 000 Scoville Heat Units) and is most well known due to the sauce produced from it (Tabasco sauce) produced by the McIlhenny Company of Illinois, USA. There are two main types of this pepper, green and red; with the red variety being the most well known.

Capsicum chinense




The species, Capsicum chinense contains some of the hottest Chilli varieties as determined by the Scoville Heat Scale. This includes Scotch Bonnet and Habanero chillies. This family also probably contains the world's hottest chillies, the Nagas (850 000–1 000 000 Scoville Heat Units) though there is some contention as to whether this is the case as the Nagas contain genes from both Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens (however on a gene-to-gene basis Capsicum chinense genotypes predominate.

The Scotch Bonnet is a variety of Capsicum chinense of the same species as the habañero pepper. It is an extremely hot pepper measuring 150 000–325 000 on the Scoville Heat Scale. Scotch bonnets are commonly used in the cuisines of the West Indies and West Africa where it's distinct flavour lends dishes like Jerk Spice it's distinctive qualities. It is also an essential ingredient in all West African pepper soups and Hot Pepper Sauce.

Although it belongs to the same species (Capsicum chinense) as the Scotch Bonnet the Habanero chilli (often misspelled as Habañero) is distinct in form, taste and heat. It looks more like a teardrop in shape and is some 2–6cm long whilst the Scotch Bonnet has a crenellated base and is typicaly larger. In general, Habaneros have a Scoville Heat Rating of between 200 000–300 000 and on average are less hot than Scotch Bonnets, but as Habaneros like sunny climes in places like West Africa the Habanero can be hotter than the Scotch Bonnet (at least it is considered so there) and the Habanero is used for very hot sauces that accompany dry rice dishes.

Capsicum baccatum




Members of the Capsicum baccatum family tend to have a fruitier flavour than other capsicums and are often ground into colourful powders (green, red, orange, yellow) for use in cooking. Often the cultivar is named after the colour it produces, for example:

Aji 'Hot Lemon' is an classic example of a Capsicum baccatum cultivar which has a bright yelllow colour and a citrusy aroma. It is not a particularly hot chilli (some 30 000–50 000 Scoville Heat Units) and is predominantly used in the cuisine of Mesoamerica for its colour and flavour.

Capsicum pubescens




Interestingly evidence shows that Capsicum pubescens ranks amongst the oldest of the domesticated capsicums and is known to have been grown at least 5000 years ago.

A typical example of this species is the Rocoto chilli which has both red and yellow variants and is of medium to high heat, measuring 50 000–200 000 Scoville Heat Units. The fruit is about 2–3 cm in diameter and is generally egg shaped with black seeds. This is a popular South American variety for stuffing.

As an avid collector of African and Indian recipes I have lots and lots of Chilli-based recipes on this site. You can get a list of all the recipes with chillies as a main ingredient on my:

Chilli Recipe Listings page.

Below you will find a selection of recipes that have chillies as a main ingredient, to give you a flavour of what's available on this site:

Bombay Vegetables
Arrabiata Pasta Sauce
Chilli Marmalade
Hot Pepper and Anchovy Sauce
Chicken Pepper Soup
Crabapple and Chilli Jelly
Berbere Spice
Chilli and Sweet Pepper Soup
Harissa
Thai Chilli Sorbet
Pepper Soup
Spicy Basil Chicken
Beef and Spinach
Dark Chilli Sambal
Piri-Piri Sauce
Mexican Cornbread
Nigerian Groundnut Soup
Chilli and Chocolate Sauce for Game
Fiery Chicken Jalfrezi
Dorowat
Naga Curry

If you are a true chilli afficianado (AKA a 'chilli fiend') then you really need to read this article (including recipes) about the: World's Three Hottest Chilli Dishes