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What makes peppers hot?
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How many types of peppers are there?
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What is the hottest pepper in the world?
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Why do peppers have different colours? Does the colour affect the taste?
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I have heard that peppers can help prevent cancer. Is this true?
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What health benefits do peppers offer?
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What are the nutrients found in peppers?
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What is the best way to peel a pepper?
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What does a healthy pepper look like?
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Where should I store peppers and for how long?
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How should I handle hot peppers?
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What is the best way to relieve the burning sensation in one’s mouth?
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What makes peppers hot?
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Most species of Capsicum contain capsaicin (methyl vanillyl nonenamide), a chemical that produces a strong burning sensation in the mouth. Capsaicin is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white "ribs" that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh.
The amount of capsaicin in peppers is highly variable and is dependent on genetics.
Sometimes, both sweet and hot cultivars can be found within a type, and even in the one cultivar cool weather, excess water and nitrogen will increase sweetness, while stress adds pungency. The only pepper without capsaicin is the bell pepper.
In hot peppers you can see the capsaicin in the form of a shiny yellow substance on the placenta. A hot pepper can be made considerably less hot by removing the placenta.
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How many types of peppers are there?
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The are many, many different varieties of peppers around the world. Generally speaking, they can be divided into three groups: firstly, bell peppers, which are large and elongated in shape, with little or no capsaicin; for this reason, they are also known as “sweet” peppers or paprika. They are commercialised in different colours: green, red, yellow, orange, and even purple. The second group is composed of the so-called Pimiento pepper types, which are red, sweet, round, and slightly pointed. Finally, there is the largest group: the hot pepper or chilli group of peppers. Their shapes and colours can vary enormously, and as a general rule, the smaller the chilli, the hotter it is.
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What is the hottest pepper in the world?
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The hotness of a chilli pepper is usually measured using the Scoville scale. The scale uses Scoville Heat Units (SHU) to indicate the amount of capsaicin present, this being the chemical that makes peppers hot.
Pure capsaicin measures 15,000,000-16,000,000 SHU, while a bell pepper measures 0 SHU. As of April 2006, the hottest pepper in the world is the Dorset Naga. It measures 876,000-970,000 SHU, some way ahead of the Red Savina Habanero Chilli, which returns a figure of 350,000-580,000 SHU. The Dorset Naga is too hot to be consumed directly, so it is used in contact with other food
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Why do peppers have different colours? Does the colour affect the taste?
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The colour of peppers depends on their degree of ripeness, so the same pepper can change from one colour to another if it is left on the plant long enough. Peppers can be eaten at any stage of growth; this is why you can find such a variety of colours available.
Fully ripe peppers are usually red (the final colour), while unripe peppers are green or white. Every type of pepper moves through a different scale of colours. Hot peppers are typically green in early maturity, but quickly turn to yellow, orange, purple, red, or chocolate brown, depending on the type of pepper. Their hotness and flavour increases with maturity.
Bell peppers go from unripe green to red, yellow, orange, purple or even chocolate brown, depending on the type. For more flavour, choose ripe peppers, and they will be sweeter too. If you prefer a slightly bitter taste, choose a green pepper.
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I have heard that peppers can help prevent cancer. Is this true?
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Several studies at different universities have found that capsaicin, the substance that makes peppers hot, can inhibit prostate cancer. According to the American Association for Cancer Research (www.aacr.org), researchers in the USA fed capsaicin to mice, and this caused the cancerous cells to die off. However, researchers advise that many compounds that show beneficial results in mice may not be as effective in human cancer patients. The evidence is not conclusive, and increasing your weekly intake of the hottest known chillies is not recommended.
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What health benefits do peppers offer?
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Capsicum species are an excellent source of vitamin C, and have been used extensively as a medicinal plant in different parts of the world. Some of the health benefits traditionally linked with peppers are their healing effect on respiratory problems, their ability to control and often cure sinus and nasal passage problems, and their power to reduce headaches. The pepper has been used as a digestive irritant, a stomachic stimulant, and a tonic. The plants have also been used as folk remedies for dropsy, colic, diarrhoea, asthma, arthritis, muscle cramps, and toothache. Modern Western medicine uses capsaicin, the pungent chemical present in peppers, as a circulatory stimulant and pain reliever.
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What are the nutrients found in peppers?
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Peppers, especially ripe sweet red peppers, are an excellent source of vitamin C, much more so than oranges, grapefruit or even lemons. According to Nutrition Data, 100g of sweet red pepper provides 190mg of this vitamin, equivalent to 317% of the daily value intake of this important vitamin, while 100g of oranges contain 45mg of vitamin C, 75% of the daily value. Vitamin C is important because it helps the human body to better absorb iron, calcium and amino acids. In addition to vitamin C, peppers are also a good source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, also found in tomatoes.
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What is the best way to peel a pepper?
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The skin of some peppers can be especially tough, and not very pleasant to eat. It is a good idea to peel a pepper just before the fruit is cooked, and the best way to do this is by blistering the pepper’s skin. This can be done by placing the pepper under a hot grill. The pepper skin will quickly blister on the side facing the grill. Turn the pepper over until the whole surface is blistered. Then place the pepper inside a plastic bag and let it cool down. Once it is cool, just peel the skin off. Never wash the pepper, though; water will remove much of its flavour.
Another way to remove the skin of a pepper is to immerse it in hot oil for no more than 10 seconds, using a perforated spoon or tongs. It is important that the oil is very hot. When the pepper is cool again, remove the skin by rubbing it with thumb and fingers.
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What does a healthy pepper look like?
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There are thousands of varieties of peppers, and they come in a truly wide range of shapes, sizes and colours. As a general rule, a healthy pepper should be well-shaped, firm, with a deep colour and shiny skin. The skin of the pepper should be taut and unwrinkled, and its stem fresh and green. Avoid peppers that have soft or sunken areas, slashes or black spots, or which look soft or limp.
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Where should I store peppers and for how long?
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Store unwashed sweet peppers in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days. Green peppers will keep somewhat longer than red or other ripe peppers. Immediately use any peppers that have developed soft spots.
The best storage temperature is 8-12°C, but for their full flavour to be enjoyed, pepper fruits should be at room temperature.
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How should I handle hot peppers?
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You should be really careful when handling hot peppers, because they can not only burn your mouth, but your skin as well. The substance that makes peppers hot, capsaicin, is mainly present in the pepper’s placenta, the white “ribs” that run down the middle and along the sides of a pepper, as well as in the seeds, and it is also unevenly distributed throughout the flesh. Therefore, you should wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers, especially when removing the seeds and the ribs. Always wash both the gloves and your hands very thoroughly with soap and warm water, and never, never touch your eyes, nose or mouth until you have washed your hands and gloves.
Dried chillies are less hazardous to handle, but you should be careful all the same.
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What is the best way to relieve the burning sensation in one’s mouth?
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The least effective way to relieve the burning sensation in the mouth produced by peppers is to drink water. Capsaicin, the pungent substance in peppers, is poorly soluble in water, but more soluble in fat, oils, and pure alcohol. Therefore, some more effective solutions may be to cool down the mouth and throat with rice, cheese, buttered bread, yoghurt, ice cream or milk. The good news is that if nothing works, you can be sure that the burning sensation will gradually fade away by itself.
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