Some Like It Hot

They are the Heart & the Heat of Mexican Cuisine.
But, not all Chiles are Created Equal

[plate-o-chiles] TO SAY THAT CHILE IS ESSENTIAL to Mexican cuisine doesn't come close to describing its importance for most Mexicans, for whom it's inconceivable to eat a meal without picante. Of course, they've had literally thousands of years to acquire the taste and to develop the habit.

Varieties of Capsicum, the plant genus to which all chile peppers belong, have been cultivated in Mexico since at least 3000 BC, according to remains found along with pottery in Puebla and Oaxaca. Many believe that its origins in the Americas go back as far 7,500 BC.

First some basic chile facts: The original Mexican term, chilli (now chile in Spanish) came from Nahuatl word xilli. The word "pepper" came into use when the plants were first introduced into Europe. Its spiciness was compared to that Asian exotic condiment, black pepper, piper nigrum. But, there is no botanical relationship with this plant.

Chili peppers have a red hot reputation; many are indeed fiery, but others are sweet, mild and richly flavored. There are over 140 different types of chili peppers grown throughout Mexico; from the five-alarm habanero to the harmless, sweet bell pepper.

So what makes a pepper hot?

The burning sensation that makes chiles so appealing to some (and so appalling to others) comes from a chemical called capsaicin. The stem end of the pod has glands which produce the substance, which then flows down through the pod. The white pith that surrounds the seeds, contains the highest concentrations of capsaicin. Removing the seeds and inner membranes reduces the heat of a pod. Bell peppers are the only capiscums containing no capsaicin.

How Hot Is Hot?

In 1912, a chemist named Wilbur Scoville, working for the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company, developed a method to measure the heat level of chile peppers. The test is named after him, the "Scoville Organoleptic Test". In the original test, Wilbur blended pure ground chiles with sugar-water and a panel of "testers" then sipped the solution, in increasingly diluted concentrations, until they reached the point that the liquid no longer burned their mouths.

A number was then assigned to each chile pepper based on how much it needed to be diluted before they could no longer taste (feel) the heat. The pungency (or heat factor) of chile peppers is measured in multiples of 100 units. The sweet bell peppers at zero Scoville units to the mighty Habanero at 300,000 plus Scoville units! One part of chile "heat" per 1,000,000 drops of water is rated at only 1.5 Scoville Units. Pure Capsaicin rates between 15,000,000 and 16,000,000 Scoville Units! Today, a more accurate method called liquid chromatography is used to determine capsaicin levels, but in honor of the good Dr. Wilbur, the unit of measure is still named Scoville.

A variety of the habanero called Red Savina used to be thought of as the hottest pepper, but it seems that now the Bhut Jolokia is acknowledged to be the world's hottest spice, recording over 1,000,000 Scoville units!

A Culinary Treasure Trove

Chiles are eaten raw, roasted, smoked, dried, stuffed, whole, chopped, sliced, pickled and mixed with other ingredients to create a huge range of sauces and salsas. They can be preserved by drying, pickling or freezing. Dried peppers may be reconstituted whole, or processed into flakes or powders. Pickled or marinated peppers are frequently added to sandwiches or salads.

Many varieties of the same species can be used in many different ways: the mild to slightly tangy Jalapeño, often is used for stuffing, and the smoked, ripe Jalapeño, known as Chipotle is great in sauces. Mexico's chiles have spread around the world, transforming eating habits in innumerable countries, even conquering its neighbor to the north, where salsa now outsells ketchup as the number one condiment.

A Vitamin Rich, Cheap High

Why do we like chili, that famous sweat inducing, irritant to the roof of the mouth? For the endorphin high. Simply, the brain reads pain and produces neurotransmitters that are chemically similar to morphine.

[bell-or-pussy-peppers] Chiles provide large doses of vitamin C. Red chilies are a rich source of vitamin D (especially when eaten with beans and grains) and of vitatmin A (the kind stored in your liver for when you need it). Peppers are also a good source of most B vitamins, and vitamin B6 in particular. They are very high in potassium and high in magnesium and iron.

Chilies are thought to kill certain kinds of bacteria - a great boon for storing food in hot climates without refrigeration. Scientists have also observed that they lower blood sugar in diabetics and reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol. They may even help brain functioning, and, of course, they do clear your sinuses.

Other mammals are turned off by chili's hot seeds, but birds don't mind them at all. Birds eat chili peppers and spread the seeds through their droppings.

Handle With Care

Jalapeños and other hot chilies can bite you before you bite them. Capsaicin can irritate your skin and especially your eyes. Cover your hands with plastic bags or thin rubber gloves, or wash your hands well and scrub under your nails after handling hot chilies; otherwise, an inadvertent rub of the eye could cause a three-alarm mishap.

When it's Just too Darn'd Hot

If you ever find yourself eating a chile pepper that is way too hot, drinking water won't help dowse the flames. Capsaicin is an oil which won't dissolve in water, instead it will spread it to other parts of the mouth. Drink milk, rinsing the mouth while swallowing, or eat ice cream or yogurt. Eat rice or bread which will absorb the capsaicin. Drink tomato juice or suck on a fresh lime (the acid will counteract the alkalinity of the capsaicin).
[chile]

Some of the most common varieties:

Poblano: Mildish, used for stuffed chile dishes, chile rellenos
Jalapeño: Thicker flesh, darker green color, moderately hot, popular in commercial sauces & pickled.
Chipotle: Dried & smoked jalapeños, it has a rich smoky flavor for rich sauces.
Pasilla: Mild, long & thin, they turn from dark green to dark brown as they mature. Dried for sauces.
Ancho: looks like ordinary bell pepper but watch out!. Dried, it's flat, round and wrinkled like a prune.
Guajillo: Smooth-skinned, brick or cranberry red chiles, a bit spicier than anchos and not as sweet.
Serrano: Tiny 1-inch peppers, waxy green, changing to orange and red as they mature. They pack a punch.
Manzano: Used most often in fresh form because the pods are so thick they are difficult to dry. They are great for making hot salsas. The manzano is unusual in that it has black seeds.
Chiles de arbol: Narrow, curved chiles that start out green and mature to bright red. The arbol chile is very hot, and are also the ones that are dried after turning red and used in many holiday wreaths.
Habanero: These tiny things may be the hottest chile yet known to man, similar size and color - marble-shaped from unripe green to full ripe red. similar to the almost as dangerous chile de arbol. Use with extreme caution.

Pico de Gallo

A basic, easy salsa, fresh and chunky, it means "bite of the rooster". Make it as hot as you like it: four alarm with habaneros, a moderate salsa using green or serrano chiles, for mild use jalapeños, or with no bite at all, you use bell peppers.

[Pico de Gallo] INGREDIENTS:

2 cups (about 4 medium) plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 fresh chile peppers, mild or hot, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION:

Combine ingredients in a glass or other non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Makes about 2 cups.

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