Chili Peppers:

History

Archeological evidence suggests that chili peppers have been part of the human diet in the Americas as early as 7500 BC. The evidence also suggests that in sites in southwestern Ecuador, chili peppers were grown domestically around 6000 years ago making them one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas.

One of the first Europeans to encounter chilies was Christopher Columbus during a stop in the Caribbean. He called them “peppers” because they were similar in taste to what he was used to in the Old County. At the time, Columbus was searching for a new route to Asia and may have named the chilies “pepper” after the Asian spice to convince his crew that he did in fact find a new route.

Columbus introduced chilies to various parts of the globe in subsequent voyages. The first chili peppers were brought to Spain by Diego Alvarez Chanca, a physician on Columbus’ second voyage to the West Indies in 1493. He was also the first to write about the medicinal effects of chilies in 1494.

Heat of the Chili Pepper

The chili pepper, by definition, is the fruit of the Capsicum plant. The term ‘chili’ usually refers to the smaller, hotter species of Capsicum as the larger, milder types are called bell peppers. Heat of the chili comes from a main chemical compound named capsaicin as well as other related chemicals collectively called capsaicinoids. The highest concentration of capsaicin, thus the majority of the heat, is found in the placenta, not the seeds as myth would have it. To mitigate the heat of a chili simply scrape the seeds and placenta from the inside of the pepper.

Heats of peppers are measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). William Scoville developed a scale to measure the heat level in chilies back in 1912. He asked a panel of tasters to state when a dilute solution of a particular pepper no longer burned their mouth. From the results he constructed a table of peppers and associated SHU ranges that remain in use today. The higher the scoville unit, the hotter the pepper. The method of determining the unit has since been replaced with High Performance Liquid Chromatography.

The heat of some common peppers is as follows:
Bell Peppers 0 SHU
Jalapeno 3,000 – 6000 SHU
Tabasco 120,000 SHU
Habanero 300,000 SHU

The hottest pepper in existence is an ongoing debate. Recently, test conducted by the Chile Pepper Institute of the University of New Mexico and the Commercial Chilli Growers Frontal Agritech measure the Bhut Jolokia chili at 1,001,304 SHU and 1,041,427 SHU respectively making it the hottest Chili currently known to man.

Physiological Effects

Capsaicinoids bind to the receptors in the lining of the mouth responsible for registering pain from heat, hence the burning feeling. More specifically, the burning feeling is actually the flow of calcium ions from one cell to the next. Continued exposure to capsaicinoids depletes the receptors enabling you to eat hotter chilies and feel the same effect. The pain caused by eating the chilies release endorphins which lead to a feeling of elation.

Capsaicin also blocks the production of neurotransmitters which prevent nerves from communicating with each other. High concentrations of capsaicinoids are toxic and painful enough to be incapacitating. In earlier times, Mayans threw chilies at their enemy during battle. In modern times, pepper sprays are used to accomplish the same results.

Culinary Uses

The chili is a staple among Mexican cuisine and has also become an integral part of Tex-Mex dishes. In addition, the chili has also become part of Korean, Indian, Indonesian and Szechuan and Tai cooking. The fruit is eaten raw or cooked and adds a fiery hot flavor to dishes.

Indian cuisine includes the use of chilies in dishes such as bajji, a battered and fried pepper snack, and vindaloo. Chilies are also dried and roasted and salted for use in rice dishes like vadam. Sambal is a dipping sauce made from chilies, garlic, onion, shallots, salt, vinegar and sugar and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

In Filipino cuisine, the leaves of the chili plant are cooked as greens in a dish called dahon ng sili. Chili leaves are also used in tinola, a chicken soup dish.

Spices such as paprika and chili powder are derived from chilies as well. Paprika is a made from dried chilies with a dash of Cayenne for heat while chili powder is composed of a mixture of dried chilies, cumin, garlic and oregano.

Smoked jalapenos, called chipoltes, are used in sauces, pickled in adobo sauce or powdered. They can be added to such dishes as stews, chicken dishes, chili or used as a glaze for shrimp

Hot Sauce

Hot sauces are probably the most common use for chilies. The most famous sauce being Tabasco made from Tabasco chilies which are fermented and aged in oak barrels for up to three years.

The average person can make their own hot sauce as the ingredients are fairly simple. All that you really need are chilies, vegetable oil and vinegar. Perfecting a hot sauce is another story. Ingredients in a hot sauce can very from cumin to mango.

Health Benefits

Red chilies are rich in vitamin C and provitamin A although yellow and green chilies have considerably lower amounts. All peppers are a good source of vitamin B, particularly B6. They are also high in potassium, magnesium and iron.

Studies have shown that chilies aid in the alleviation of pain in arthritis patients and may also play a role in fighting cancer. Some scientists say that capsaicin could be used to kill tumors with few or no side effects to the patient. Hot chilies are also known to kill parasites in the gastro-intestinal tract and are commonly used as a dietary component in tropical regions.

Chilies also have cardiovascular benefits, weight loss benefits and help to clear mucus from stuffed noses and congested lungs. According to a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition chilies also help to lower the risk of Diabetes. After a meal consisting of chilies the amount of insulin required to lower blood sugar levels is reduced. Canadian researchers claim that chilies may play an important role in curing diabetes altogether.