Chile Peppers

Red or green, pale or bright, chili peppers appear in the cuisines of nearly all tropical or subtropical countries, lending mild or intense "heat" to many foods. In addition to exciting the taste-buds, chili-pepper lovers point out, hot peppers stimulate cooling perspiration and make blander foods seem more cooling to the body.

The phenol capsaicin, which produces the burning and numbing sensations common to hot peppers, has figured in traditional medicine for centuries. Native American medicine focuses on capsaicin's pain-relieving properties. Indian ayurvedic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean medicines use capsaicin as an appetite stimulant and treatment for digestive and circulatory problems. Western medicine uses topical applications for neuralgia, arthritis, post-surgical and diabetic-neuropathic pain. Cancer researchers are currently exploring capsaicin as a possible cell-destroyer in certain malignant tumors. Anecdotally, singers will often swear by capsaicin as an emergency relief for sore throat.

Whatever medical uses chili peppers possess, they add delicious nuances to cooking, from the mild heat of Anaheim and Ancho peppers to the fiery intensity of Habanero, Scotch Bonnet, and Thai peppers. Anyone new to cooking with hot peppers may wish to consult the Scoville Pepper Heat Scale before embarking on cooking with chili peppers.

What to Look For:

Firm, shiny skin.
Heavy weight for size.
Absence of bruising or scarring.

Chile Peppers Storage and preparation tips:

Refrigerate or store at cool temperature until ready to use.
Wear rubber gloves when cutting chili peppers; the heat of capsaicin is very easily absorbed by skin. Some cooks use vinegar to neutralize accidental capsaicin burns.
Store cut peppers in glass, rather than plastic containers; capsaicin caution, again.

Cooking with Chili Peppers:

One of the delights of cooking with chili peppers is discovering all the cuisines in which they play a part: African, Central and South American, Indian and Asian cuisines all contain dishes seasoned with chilis. With new dishes, respect the quantities of peppers specified by recipes until you have tasted the results. More heat is always possible; less can be harder to achieve in a finished dish.

Chile Peppers Nutrition Highlights:

Chili peppers are a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin K, along with beta-carotene, choline, and iron. Nutritional benefits are, of course, highly dependent on the amount of heat you can tolerate! The small quantities needed to season most dishes may cause them to be classified as more generally stimulating than nourishing.

Nutrients of Chili peppers