Lemon Drop

The Lemon drop is a hot, citrus-flavored pepper is a popular seasoning pepper in Peru where it is known as Kellu Uchu. It is also known in the anglophone world as 'Hot lemon' or 'Lemon Drop'. The bright yellow, crinkled, cone-shaped fruits are about 2-1/2" long and 1/2" wide and mature from green to yellow approximately 100 days after transplanting (Long season) have fewer seeds than the average pepper, containing than 15 seeds on average. The plant is vine like typically reaching a height of about 3 ft. Like other baccatum species this pepper was practically unknown in the West until the early 1990s, but are now gaining wide scale popularity.

Scoville Rating: 15000-30000

Banana

A banana pepper is long, mild to moderately hot (0-500 Scoville units) member of the chili pepper family, often served pickled on sandwiches. Its shape and color resembles a banana. As with most peppers, hotness depends on the maturity of the pepper, with the most ripe being sweeter than younger ones.

Banana peppers are typically yellow, but can also be orange or red.

The plant requires full sun, and should be treated like most plants in the pepper family. Plants can be grown from seed and cuttings.

Scoville Rating: 0-500

Aji Caballero

The Ají caballero (or "gentleman pepper") is a scarce hot chili pepper used as the basis of most Puerto Rican condiments, such as the Pique sauce. The fruit of this plant stands vertically, unlike other peppers that hang down from the branches. The plant grows to approximately 3' - 4' in height. Also known by Puerto Rican Jelly Bean Hot Chili Pepper.

Scoville Rating: ???

Fatalii

The Fatalii (Capsicum chinense) is a chili that originates in central and southern Africa. It is described to have a fruity, citrus flavor with a searing heat that is comparably hotter to the standard habanero. The Scoville units of a Fatalii range about 125,000 ~ 325,000 units. The plants grow 20 to 25 inches in height, and plant distance should be about the same. The pendant pods get 2.5 to 3.5 inches long and about 0.75 to 1.5 inches wide. From a pale green, they mature to a bright yellow (there are red Fataliis around as well, but the yellow one is the "real thing.")

Scoville Rating: 125000-325000

Aji Dulce

Ají dulce (from South American Spanish ají, "chile" + Spanish dulce, "sweet") is any of a variety of sweet perennial peppers found in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is most widely known in Venezuela where it refers to a specific native variety of Capsicum chinense related to the habanero, but with a much milder, smoky flavour.

In Venezuela, the “ají dulce” is a key ingredient in the preparation of the paramount dish of the Venezuelan cuisine, the Hallaca; and one of the cornerstones of the national cuisine.

In Puerto Rico, the “ají dulce” (“ajíce” for short) is grown commercially and is an important ingredient for sauces, such as sofrito or “mojito isleño” (a fish or meat sauce).

In Brazil, this pepper is called Rubra or Biquinho (Because the rounded-form cultivar; observe the first photo), and is used to make a sweet jam.

The history of this pepper is obscure, but since wild peppers are naturally hot this variety was probably developed over the years among farmers by simple selection of seed from milder and milder fruits. The fruit of aji dulce can be used green or ripe, and it can be seeded and frozen for use over the winter, a technique that also preserves its rich flavor much better than drying. It is a small, light green pepper that turns red (or yellow) if left long enough on the plant. It has the shape and size of a habanero pepper without the intense heat. Occasionally, there can be some ají dulce fruit that is pungent, probably due to out-crossing with other hot pepper plants. In the tropics, this plant can grow as a perennial, although most of the commercial production is with annual systems.

This pepper is sweeter than spicy.

Scoville Rating: ???

Mulato

The Mulato pepper is a mild to medium dried Poblano pepper (Capsicum annuum), sold dried. Mexican Mulato chiles are part of the famous "trilogy" used in mole as well as other Mexican sauces and stews. The Mulato's color while growing is dark green, maturing to red or brown. The dried Mulato is flat and wrinkled, and always brownish-black in color. The average length of the Mulato is ten centimeters, and it is typically five centimeters wide. Its shape is wide at the top, tapering to a blunt point.

The Mulato has been described as tasting somewhat like chocolate or licorice, with undertones of cherry and tobacco.

Scoville Rating: 500-5000

Italian Sweet

The Italian sweet pepper is a variety of the species Capsicum annuum, like bell peppers and chilli peppers.

It has the appearance of a large chilli pepper but the mild taste of sweet peppers such as the bell pepper.

Scoville Rating: 0

Fresno

The Fresno Chili pepper is similar to the Jalapeno pepper but it is significantly hotter (2500-10000 Scoville units) increasing in heat as it ripens. It is frequently used for Ceviche and making salsa. They do not dry well and are not good for Chili Powder. It is the same species as the Jalapeno (Capsicum Annuum).

Since the Fresno chili is riper and redder than the jalapeno it has more vitamins, most notably Vitamin C. Also they are an excellent source of B vitamins, and contain significant amounts of iron, thiamin, niacin, magnesium and riboflavin. They are also low in calories, fat, sodium and are cholesterol free.

Scoville Rating: 2500-10000

Cubanelle

The Cubanelle is a variety of sweet pepper. When unripe, it is light yellowish-green in color, but eventually turns bright red. Compared to bell peppers it has thinner flesh, is longer, and has a slightly more wrinkled appearance. It is used extensively in Puerto Rico's cuisine.

Cubanelle peppers are used in the U.S. to replace Poblano peppers. Most of the cubanelle pepper imports come from the Dominican Republic (where it's called ají cubanela), which has been -of late- the main exporter of this cultivar.

Scoville Rating: ???

Pasilla

Pasilla (pronounced pah-SEE-yah; literally "little raisin") refers to more than one variety of chile in the species Capsicum annuum. Pasillas are used especially in sauces. They are sold whole or powdered in Mexico and the United States.

The pasilla chile or chile negro is the dried form of a variety of Capsicum annuum named for its dark, wrinkled skin. In its fresh form, it is called the chilaca. It is a mild to medium-hot, rich-flavored chile. It is generally 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) long and 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) in diameter. The fresh narrow chilaca can measure up to 9 inches (22 cm) long and often has a twisted shape, which is seldom apparent after drying. It turns from dark green to dark brown when fully mature.

Pasilla de Oaxaca is a variety of smoked pasilla chile from Oaxaca used in mole negro.

The poblano, when dried, becomes a broad, flat, heart-shaped pod called an ancho chile (meaning "wide" in Spanish), often ground into a powder used for flavoring recipes. ("Poblano" is also the name of an inhabitant of Puebla, Mexico and refers to this pepper's origin).

Scoville Rating: 1000-4000

Cascabel

The cascabel chili (little bell), also known as the rattle chili, is one of the Mirasol cultivars of the species Capsicum annuum. The rattle and bell designations describe the tendency of loose seeds to rattle inside a dried cascabel when shaken. Fresh cascabel, which is 2-3 cm in diameter, is also known by the alias bola chili or chili bola (Spanish: ball chili). The pigmentation of the fresh chilis blends from green to red; when dried, the color darkens. Farmers cultivate cascabel in several states throughout Mexico, including Coahuila, Durango, Guerrero, and Jalisco.

Scoville Rating: 2500-8000

Bell

Bell pepper is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, green and orange. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as "sweet peppers". Peppers are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Pepper seeds were later carried to Spain in 1493 and from there spread to other European and Asian countries. Today, Mexico remains one of the major pepper producers in the world.The term "bell pepper" is one of the many names for some vegetable of the Capsicum annuum species of plants. The misleading name "pepper" (pimiento in Spanish) was given by Christopher Columbus upon bringing the plant back to Europe. At that time peppercorns, the fruit of Piper nigrum, an unrelated plant, were a highly prized condiment.

The term "bell pepper" or "pepper" or "capsicum" is often used for any of the large bell shaped capsicum vegtables, regardless of their color. In British English, the fruit is simply referred to as a "pepper", whereas in many Commonwealth of Nations countries, such as Australia, India, Malaysia and New Zealand, they are called "capsicum". Across Europe, the term "paprika", which has its roots in the word for pepper, is used—sometimes referred to by their color (e.g., "groene paprika", "gele paprika", in Dutch, which are green and yellow, respectively). Paprika also refers to the powdered spice made from the same fruit. In France it is called "poivron", with the same root as "poivre" (meaning "pepper"), or "piment. " In Japan, the word ピーマン ("pîman, " from the French) refers only to green bell peppers, whereas パプリカ ("papurika, " from paprika) refers to bell peppers of other colors. In the United States and Canada, the fruit is often referred to simply as a "pepper" or referred to by color (e. g. "red pepper", "green pepper"), although the more specific term "bell pepper" is understood in most regions. In parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, the fruit is called a "mango". Bell peppers are botanically fruits, but are generally considered in culinary contexts to be vegetables.

In Russia it is commonly called болгарский перец (bolgarskiy perets), meaning Bulgarian pepper. In Denmark the bell pepper is referred to as "peberfrugt", meaning pepper-fruit. In the rest of Scandinavia it is known as "paprika".

In Brazil it's commonly called Pimentão, meaning Big pepper. It's widely used in a variety of dishes, like pasta, rice and other dishes from Cuisine of Brazil.

In Argentina it's called "Morrón", green and red bell peppers are usually found in small grocery stores, the yellow ones tend to be in the supermarket. Grilled, they may form part of the traditional barbecue of this country, called "Asado" (Castilian Spanish for 'grilled').

In Nepal it's called "bhede khursani". It is eaten with fried noodles, and is cooked and eaten with any vegetable, but bhede khursani is never eaten raw.

In Sri Lanka it is called "Maalu Miris", used in "curries" and as a vegetable. "Miris" is Chilli, the hotter variety which is used as a hot spice, and "Maalu" means Vegetable, hence "Maalu Miris" indicates the less spicy version, which is suitable for cooking as a vegetable, instead of using as a spice.

In Egypt it is commonly called "filfil akhdar", where "filfil" means pepper and "akhdar" means green. It is eaten as a raw snack, in salads, in various soups and stews, and is also cooked stuffed with a rice and beef filling.

The color can be green, red, yellow, orange and, more rarely, white, purple, blue, pink, rainbow, aqua, violet, maroon, black and brown, depending on when they are harvested and the specific cultivar. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than red, yellow or orange peppers. The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest are fruit allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet.

Scoville Rating: 0

Rocotillo

A Rocotillo pepper (Capsicum baccatum) is a type of chile pepper that originated in Peru. Unripe rocotillos are green or yellow, but the color at maturity varies. Common colors are red, orange or brown. Rocotillo's are almost spherical in nature and can be dried easily. They are generally an inch long (2.5cm) and around an inch (2.5cm) wide.

Scoville Rating: 1500-2500

Anaheim

The name Anaheim refers to a mild variety of the New Mexican chile pepper, which is a member of the Capsicum genus. New Mexican cultivars were developed in the state by Dr. Fabian Garcia about 100 years ago. They got the name "Anaheim" when a farmer named Emilio Ortega brought these seeds to the Anaheim, California, area in the early 1900s. They are also called California chile peppers. The chile "heat" of Anaheims typically ranges from 500 to 2,500 on the Scoville scale.^[1] Many varieties of New Mexico chiles reach 4,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

Scoville Rating: 500-5000

Guajillo

A guajillo chili (chile guajillo in Spanish) is a variety of chili pepper of the species Capsicum annuum, which is widely used in the cuisine of Mexico.

Its fruits are large and mild in flavor, with only a small amount of heat (rating 2,500 to 5,000 on the Scoville scale). They are used to make the salsa for tamales; the dried fruits are seeded, soaked, pulverized to a thin paste, then cooked with salt and several other ingredients to produce a thick, red, flavorful sauce.

Scoville Rating: 2500-5000

Serrano

The serrano pepper (Capsicum annuum) is a type of chili pepper that originated in the mountainous regions of the Mexican states of Puebla and Hidalgo. Unripe serranos are green, but the color at maturity varies. Common colors are green, red, brown, orange, or yellow. Serranos are very meaty and thus they do not dry very well. They are generally between 1 and 4 inches long (2.5 to 10 cm) and around ½ inch (1 cm) wide.

Scoville Rating: 10000-20000

Chipotle

A chipotle (pronounced /tʃɨˈpoʊtleɪ/ chee-POTE-lay; Spanish IPA: [tʃiˈpotle]^{[citation needed]}) is a smoke-dried jalapeño chili used primarily in Mexican, Mexican-American, Tex-Mex, and Mexican-inspired cuisine.

There are many varieties of jalapeños which vary in size and heat. In Mexico, the jalapeño is also known as the cuaresmeño and gordo. Until recently, chipotles were almost exclusively found in the markets of central and southern Mexico. As Mexican food became more popular in the United States in the late 20th century and into the 21st century, jalapeño production and processing began to move into Northern Mexico and the United States.

Typically, a grower will pass through a jalapeño field multiple times, picking the best green jalapeños for market. At the end of the growing season, jalapeños naturally begin to turn red. There is an extensive fresh market for red jalapeños in both Mexico and the United States. Many U.S. growers disk the red jalapeños into the ground. They are kept on the vine as long as possible. When the jalapeños are deep red and have lost much of their moisture, they are selected to be made into chipotles.

The red jalapeños are moved to a closed smoking chamber where they are spread out on metal grills. Wood is placed in a firebox, and the smoke enters the sealed chamber. Every few hours the jalapeños are stirred to improve smoke penetration. The chiles are smoked for several days until most of the moisture is removed. At the end of the process, the chipotles have dried up in a manner akin to prunes or raisins. The underlying heat of the jalapeños is combined with the taste of smoke. Typically ten pounds of jalapeños make one pound of chipotle.

In recent years, growers have begun using large gas dryers. Some processors have even started to use liquid smoke. These techniques produce what most culinary experts believe to be an inferior chipotle chile.

Most chipotle chiles are produced in the Northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. This variety of chipotle is known as a morita (Spanish for blackberry or black raspberry; literally "little purple one"). This is a description of how the chipotle looks. In central and southern Mexico, chipotle chiles are known as chile meco, chile ahumado, or tipico. Whereas moritas from Chihuahua are purple in color, chile meco is tan/grey in color and has the general appearance of a cigar butt. Almost all of the chipotle chiles found in the United States are of the morita variety. Almost all of the chipotle meco is consumed in Mexico, though some is exported to the United States, where it is generally available only in Mexican grocery stores.

Chipotles can be purchased in many different forms, including chipotle powder, chipotle pods, chipotles en adobo in a can, concentrated chipotle base and wet chipotle meat marinade.

In addition to moritas, other varieties of chiles can be smoke-dried, including red jalapeños, serranos, habaneros, New Mexican chiles, Hungarian wax chiles, Santa Fe Grande chiles, and a milder jalapeño called the TAM Mild Jalapeño (a cultivar named for Texas A&M University). Lesser-known varieties of smoked chiles include: Cobán, a piquín chile native to southern Mexico and Guatemala; Pasilla de Oaxaca: a variety of pasilla chile from Oaxaca used in mole negro; Jalapeño chico: jalapeños, smoked while still green; and capones: a rare and quite expensive smoked red jalapeño without seeds. "Capones" translates roughly into "castrated ones."

Chipotles are a key ingredient that impart a relatively mild but earthy spiciness to many dishes in Mexican cuisine. The chiles are used to make various salsas. Chipotle chiles can also be ground up and combined with other spices to make a meat marinade known as an adobo.

The word chipotle, which was also sometimes spelled chilpoctle and chilpotle, comes to English originally from the Nahuatl word chilpoctli by way of Mexican Spanish. The Nahuatl word chilpoctli means "smoked chile", an agglutination of chil(li) (="chile pepper") + poctli (="smoked"). The original Nahuatl word was spelled "pochilli" and has apparently become reversed). Other early spellings from Mexico are tzilpoctil, tzonchilli and texochilli).

Scoville Rating: 10000-50000

Tobasco

The tabasco pepper is a variety of chili pepper species Capsicum frutescens. It is best known through its use in Tabasco sauce, followed by peppered vinegar.

Like all C. frutescens cultivars, the tabasco plant has a typical bushy growth, which commercial cultivation makes stronger by trimming the plants. The tapered fruits, around 4 cm long, are initially pale yellowish-green and turn yellow and orange before ripening to bright red. Tabascos rate from 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville scale of heat levels.

A large part of the tabasco pepper stock fell victim to the tobacco mosaic virus in the 1960s: the first resistant variety (Greenleaf tabasco) was not cultivated until around 1970.

Even though the word "tabasco" is the name of a Mexican state, this variety of pepper was first grown in large quantities in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The initial letter of "tabasco" is rendered in lowercase when referring to the botanical variety, but is capitalized when used as a brand name to refer to the pepper's namesake sauce product, Tabasco sauce.

Until recently, all of the peppers used to make Tabasco sauce were grown on Avery Island, Louisiana. While a small portion of the crop is still grown on the island, the bulk of the crop is now grown in Central and South America, where the weather and the availability of more farmland allow a more predictable and larger year-round supply of peppers. This also helps to ensure the supply of peppers should something happen to the crop at a particular location. All of the seeds are still grown on Avery Island.

Scoville Rating: 30000-50000

Aji

The ají pepper, also known as Peruvian hot pepper, is a unique species of chili pepper, Capsicum baccatum, containing several different breeds. The most common are simply differentiated by color, like "yellow Peruvian hot pepper" or ají amarillo. These peppers have a distinctive, fruity flavor, and are commonly ground into colorful powders for use in cooking, each identified by its color. In Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Venezuela and Puerto Rico, the word ají refers to any chile or chile sauce.

Scoville Rating: ???

Cayenne

The Cayenne, or Guinea pepper, or Bird pepper is a red, hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes and for medicinal purposes. Named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, it is a cultivar of Capsicum annuum related to bell peppers, jalapeños, and others. The Capsicum genus is in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

The fruits are generally dried and ground, or pulped and baked into cakes, which are then ground and sifted to make the powdered spice known as cayenne pepper.

Cayenne is used in cooking spicy hot dishes, as a powder or in its whole form (such as in Sichuan cuisine) or in a thin, vinegar-based sauce. It is generally rated at 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Units. It is also used as a herbal supplement, and was mentioned by Nicholas Culpeper in his book Complete Herbal.

Cayenne pepper is considered to be misnomer by the American Spice Trade Association, which prefers the more generic term red pepper. Generally speaking any of a number of peppers are called cayenne.

Most cultivated varieties of Cayenne Capsicum annuum can be grown in a variety of locations and need approximately 100 days to mature. Peppers prefer warm, moist, nutrient-rich soil in a warm climate. The plants grow to about 2–4 feet of height and should be spaced three feet apart.

Chilis are mostly perennial in sub-tropical and tropical regions however they are usually grown as annuals in northern climates. They can be overwintered if protected from frost and require some pruning.

Cayenne is a popular spice in a variety of cuisines. It is employed variously in its fresh form, dried and powdered, and as dried flakes. It is also a key ingredient in a variety of hot sauces, particularly those employing vinegar as a preservative.

Cayenne contains a pungent resin-like substance known as capsaicin. This chemical, the active ingredient of pepper spray or mace, relieves pain and itching by affecting sensory nerves. Capsaicin temporarily causes various neurotransmitters to release from these nerves, leading to their depletion. Without the neurotransmitters, pain signals can no longer be sent. The effect is temporary.

Cayenne (Capsicum frutescens or Capsicum annuum)is a Flavon (USDA reference http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Flav/Flav02-1.pdf page 68) and as such is a vasodilator (page 1 same reference) (it causes your blood vessels to open).

Cayenne pepper is used commonly as a thermogenic and to improve blood circulation and general circulatory health.

Capsaicin, potentially derived from Cayenne Pepper, is used in the production of pepper spray, as employed by police, military, and security personnel.

Scoville Rating: 30000-50000

Pequin

Pequin (or Piquin or Penguin) pepper (pronunciation: pee/puh-KEEN) is a hot chile pepper, also known as "bird pepper", that is commonly used as a spice.

Pequin has a compact habit growing typically 0.3 - 0.6 meters tall, with bright green, ovate leaves and small fruits that rarely exceed 2 cm in length. Like most chiles, fruits start out green, ripening to brilliant red at maturity. Pequin peppers are very hot, often 7-8 times hotter than jalapeños on the Scoville scale (30,000-60,000 units). Flavor is described as citrusy, smoky, and nutty.

Other common names (and possible misnomers) of this plant are pinhead pepper, chile petin, chile pequin, piquin, chiltepin, and chile mosquito.

Common uses include pickling, salsas and sauces, soups, and vinegars. The popular Cholula brand hot sauce lists Pequin peppers and red peppers among its ingredients.

Scoville Rating: 30000-60000

Chiltepin

Chiltepin, also called chiltepe or chile tepin , is a wild chile pepper that grows primarily in Central America, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. It is sometimes called the "mother of all peppers" because it is thought to be the oldest of the Capsicum annuum species.

The Wild Chile Botanical Area in the Coronado National Forest near Tucson, Arizona, has the largest population of chiltepin chile peppers in the United States. In 1997, Texans named the Tepin "the official native pepper of Texas", two years after making the Jalapeño Texas' official pepper.

Tepin peppers, or "bird’s eye" peppers, are supposedly one of the hottest peppers in the world. Some chile enthusiasts argue that the Tepin is hotter than the habanero or Red Savina, although this is not supported by the pepper's Scoville score. These tiny peppers are about 3/8" in diameter, round to slightly oval, and are found in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as Mexico and Central America. The word "Tepin" comes from a Nahuatl word meaning "flea".

Tepins are extremely hot, measuring between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Units. In Mexico, the heat of the Chiltepin is called arrebatado ("rapid" or "violent"), because, while the heat is intense, it is not very enduring. This stands in contrast to the Chili Piquin, which is somewhat similar in size and shape to the Chiltepin, but delivers a decidedly different experience. Piquins are not as hot as Chiltepins (only about 30,000-50,000 Scoville Units), but they have a much slower and longer-lasting effect.

Scoville Rating: 50000-100000

Madame Jeanette

Madame Jeanette (Capsicum chinense) is a chili pepper originally from Suriname. The plant is fairly small and dislikes cool growing sites. It will grow indoors. The fruits are shaped like small bell peppers but with Habanero like heat. The peppers ripen to reddish-yellow but they are larger and not quite as misshapen as Habaneros. When raw, the taste is of a hot burning, without any sweetness or fruitiness. It may be related to the Suriname Red (as this pepper is also known as 'Suriname Yellow'). The plant is very prolific. The image on this page is propably an adjuma/adjoema pepper. Madam Jeanettes are longer and wrinkled (they look like "madams"). This link http://www.adjoema.net/adjoema/madame_jeanette.jpg shows some Madame Jeanettes.

Scoville Rating: 100000-350000

African Birdseye

African birdseye (or African devil or African red devil) is a cultivar of the chili pepper that grows both wild and domesticated. It is a small and extremely spicy member of the capsicum plant genus.

The plants are usually very bushy and grow in height to 45-120 centimeters, with leaves of 4-7 cm length and 1.3-1.5 cm width. The fruits are generally tapered to a blunt point and measure up to 2.5 centimeters long. Immature pod color is green, mature color is bright red or purple. Some varieties of birdseye measure up to 175,000 Scoville Heat Units.

Piri-piri, peri-peri or peli-peli is the name used in Mozambique and Angola to describe the African bird's-eye chili. The variations in spelling derive from the various pronunciations of the word in parts of Africa, although "piri-piri" is the correct spelling in Portuguese.

In Mozambican cuisine, piri-piri is often used in preparing sauces and marinades for roast and grilled dishes, especially chicken and various fish. Piri-piri is widely used in a vast number of dishes of Portuguese cuisine.

Nando's, the Portuguese-themed chicken restaurant, originated in South Africa from Portuguese who left Mozambique after the independence in 1975. The chain uses piri-piri in many of its dishes, and helped popularise them worldwide. The company, however, prefers the common South African spelling peri peri on its menus and branded sauces.

In Northeastern Brazil the pepper is known as the malagueta (a term also used in Portugal, but generally for bigger varieties of chili), and it is by far the most common pepper found in both the food and the markets of the region. It is commonly used as an ingredient in the cuisine of Bahia, and as a condiment in the rest of the Northeast.

This is the hot East African sauce made from dried and soaked piri-piri chillies that is a staple condiment used to accompany many East African soups and stews. Though the origin of this sauce is probably Portuguese, it is now well established as a popular East African condiment and is considered an essential accompaniment to any meal in many households.^{[citation needed]}

Piri-piri sauce is also the name given in Portugal to most hot sauces, especially those created with piri-piri. Another explanation for the naming of the piri piri sauce is that it originated from the Gujarati term piri piri, meaning very yellow, in reference to the color of the sauce in the former Portuguese Indian colonies of Daman and Diu. The yellow color of the sauce was imparted by a combination of chilis and turmeric.

Scoville Rating: 50000-175000

Rocoto

The rocoto, or locoto (Capsicum pubescens) is a medium sized round chili pepper common in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador. Rocoto pods have thick walls, like a bell pepper, but are quite hot. Foliage is dark green and pubescent (hairy). The plant has purple blossoms with yellow spots and the seeds are dark brown or black, whereas the seeds and seed-bearing membrane of most domesticated Capsicum species are light in color. Rocoto peppers are the only peppers with black seeds. The plants grow up to 6 ft (1.8 m) high if supported. Capsicum pubescens is a perennial, and if protected from frost and pruned back it will grow many years.

Rocoto is among the oldest of domesticated peppers, and was grown up to 5000 years ago. It is probably related to undomesticated peppers that still grow in South America (cardenasii, eximium, and others). This pepper is a species; most other chili peppers are cultivars or hybrids from Capsicum annuum.

The rocoto will grow well in temperate and even cool climates without hot summers, unlike most hot chilis.

Although most rocotos are red, there is also a yellow type that is common in the Caribbean and Mexico and an orange variety.

Other names for Rocoto: locoto, manzano, canario (the yellow type), caballo, & peron.

A popular dish in South America, the Peruvian rocoto relleno, is prepared by stuffing rocotos with a meat mixture. In Peru, Rocotos are most often used in preparing Ceviche.Furthermore Rocotos are the most common hot peppers used to spice up most of their dishes.

In the United States, locoto sauce is sometimes available at Latin-American grocers. Locoto peppers themselves are available in some markets fresh, but also occasionally frozen.

Scoville Rating: 50000-250000

Datil

The Datil is an exceptionally hot pepper, a variety of the species Capsicum chinense (syn. Capsicum sinense).

Datils are similar to habaneros but have a sweeter, fruitier flavor. Their level of spiciness may be anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 scoville units.

Datil peppers are cultivated throughout the United States and elsewhere, but the majority are produced in St. Augustine, Florida, where they have been traditionally cultivated for roughly 230 years. Datil peppers are used by the Minorcan community in many recipes.

Scoville Rating: 100000-300000

Scotch Bonnet

The Scotch Bonnet (naga morris(bengali)) (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) is a variety of chilli pepper that belongs to the same species as the habanero. A cultivar of the habanero, it is one of the hottest peppers in the world. Found mainly in the Caribbean islands and the Maldives Islands, it is named for its resemblance to a Tam o'shanter. Most Scotch Bonnets have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 Scoville Units. For comparison most jalapeños have a heat rating of 2,500 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale.

These peppers are used to flavour many different dishes and cuisines worldwide. Scotch Bonnet has a flavour distinct from its Habanero cousin. This gives Jerk dishes (pork/chicken) and other Caribbean dishes their unique flavour. Scotch Bonnets are mostly used in Trinidadian, Jamaican, Barbadian and Caymanian cuisine and pepper sauces, though they often show up in other Caribbean recipes.

Fresh ripe Scotch Bonnets or Habaneros change from green to colours ranging from pumpkin orange to scarlet red. Ripe peppers are prepared for cooking by cutting out the seeds inside the fruit which can be saved for cultivation and other culinary uses.

Scoville Rating: 100000-350000

Espelette

The Espelette pepper (French: Piment d'Espelette; Basque: Ezpeletako biperra) is a variety of pepper that is cultivated in the French commune of Espelette, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, traditionally the northern territory of the Basque people. On 1 June 2000, it was classified as a AOC product and was confirmed as a APO product on 22 August 2002.

The plant, originally from Mexico and to a lesser extent South America, was introduced in France from the New World around the 16th century. After first being used medicinally, it has since become popular for preparing condiments and for the conservation of meat and ham. It is now a cornerstone of Basque cuisine, where it has gradually replaced black pepper and it is a key ingredient in piperade.

AOC espelette peppers are cultivated in the following communes: Ainhoa, Cambo-les-Bains, Espelette, Halsou, Itxassou, Jatxou, Larressore, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle, Souraïde, and Ustaritz. It is harvested in late summer and, in September, characteristic festoons of pepper are hung on balconies and house walls throughout the communes to dry out. An annual pepper festival, attracting some 20,000 tourists[citation needed], is held in October.

Scoville Rating: 4000

Habanero

The habanero chile (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) (sometimes incorrectly spelled "habañero") is one of the most intensely spicy species of chili peppers of the Capsicum genus. Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. Common colors are orange and red, but white, brown, and pink are also seen. Typically a ripe habanero is 2–6 centimetres (0.79–2.4 in) long.

The habanero chili pepper most likely originated in the Yucatán Peninsula and its coastal regions. Upon its discovery by Europeans, it was rapidly disseminated to other adequate climate areas of the world, to the point that 18th-century taxonomists mistook China for its place of origin and called it "Capsicum chinense"—the Chinese pepper. In more recent times, and after research, it is believed to have originated in the Mexican state of Yucatán.

The chili's name is derived from the name of the Cuban city of La Habana, which is known as Havana in English. Although it is not the place of origin, it was frequently traded there.

Today, the crop is most widely cultivated in the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. Other modern producers include Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, and some United States states including Texas, Idaho, and California. While Mexico is the largest consumer of this spicy ingredient, its flavor and aroma have become increasingly popular all over the world.

Habaneros are an integral part of Yucatecan food. Habanero chilies accompany most dishes in Yucatán, either in solid or purée/salsa form.

The Scotch bonnet is often compared to the habanero since they are two varieties of the same species but have different pod types. Both the Scotch bonnet and the habanero have the characteristic thin, waxy flesh. They have a similar heat level and flavor. Although both varieties average around the same level of heat, the actual degree of "heat" varies greatly with genetics, growing methods, climate, and plant stress.

Recently, the habanero's heat, its fruity, citrus-like flavor, and its floral aroma have made it a popular ingredient in hot sauces and spicy foods. In some cases, particularly in Mexico, habaneros are placed in tequila or mezcal bottles for a period ranging from several days, to several weeks, in order to make a spiced version of the drink.

Habaneros thrive in hot weather. As with all peppers, the habanero does well in an area with good morning sun and in soil with an acidity level around 5-6 pH. The habanero should be watered only when dry. Overly moist soil and roots will produce bitter-tasting peppers.

Habanero bushes are good candidates for a container garden. They can live many years in pots or other growing containers at proper temperature.

The habanero is a perennial flowering plant, meaning that with proper care and growing conditions, it can produce flowers (and thus fruit) for many years. However, in temperate climates it is treated as an annual when planted in the ground, dying each winter and being replaced the next spring. In tropical and sub-tropical regions, the habanero, like other chiles, will produce year round. As long as conditions are favorable, the plant will set fruit continuously.

Black Habanero is an alternative name often used to describe the dark brown variety of Habanero chillies. Seeds have been found that are thought to be over 7000 years old. It has an exotic and unusual taste. Small slivers used in cooking can have a dramatic effect on the over-all dish. Gourmets delight in its fiery heat and unusual flavour.

They take considerably longer to grow than other Habanero chilli varieties but are considered by many to be worth the wait. In a dried form they can be preserved for long periods of time and can be reconstituted in water then added to sauce mixes. Previously known as Habanero Negra, or by their Nahuatl name, they were translated into English by spice traders in the 19th century as "Black Habanero". The word "Chocolate" was derived from the Nahuatl Indian word, "xocolatl", and was used in the description as well, but it proved to be unpronounceable to the British traders, so it was simply named "Black Habanero".

Several growers have attempted to selectively breed habanero plants to produce hotter, heavier, and larger peppers. The Naga Jolokia is a chili that has a very high Scoville rating that reaches up to 1,041,365 and is often mistaken for a cultivar of the habanero pepper, although it is actually its own species. Most habaneros will rate between 200,000 and 300,000 Scoville units.

In 2004 researchers in Texas created a mild version of the habanero pepper retaining the aroma and flavor of the traditional habanero pepper. The milder version was obtained by crossing the Yucatán habanero pepper with a heatless habanero from Bolivia over several generations. These mild habaneros are expected to be widely available to consumers in the future.

Scoville Rating: 100000-350000

Red Savina

The Red Savina pepper is a cultivar of the habanero chile (Capsicum chinense Jacquin), which has been selectively bred to produce hotter, heavier, and larger fruit. It is also commonly known as the Dominican Devil's Tongue Pepper or the Ball of Fire Pepper in Guyana.

Frank Garcia of GNS Spices, in Walnut, California, is credited with being the developer of the Red Savina habanero. The exact method Garcia used to select the hottest strains is not publicly known.

The Red Savina is protected by the U.S. Plant Variety Protection Act (PVP #9200255)

While samples of Red Savina have been measured as high as 577,000 Scoville units, many chili enthusiasts growing the Red Savina have been unable to reach this level of heat, even with certified Red Savina seed. The Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, conducted an extensive field trial to test the Red Savina. In this scientific growth trial the Red Savina was unable to reach 250,000 scoville units.^{[citation needed]}

In February 2007 the Red Savina chili was displaced in Guinness World Records as the hottest chili in the world by the Naga Jolokia pepper. The Red Savina held the record from 1994 until 2006.

Naga Jolokia

The Naga Jolokia (English: King Cobra Chili) — also known as Bhut Jolokia, Ghost Chili, Ghost Pepper, Naga Morich — is a chili pepper. It is a naturally occurring inter-specific hybrid indigenous to the Assam region of northeastern India. It also grows in the Indian states of Nagaland and Manipur, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In 2007, it was confirmed by Guinness World Records to be the hottest chili in the world, replacing the Red Savina. Disagreement has arisen on whether it is a Capsicum frutescens or a Capsicum chinense. Some claim it is a C. frutescens, but recent DNA tests have found that it is an interspecies hybrid, mostly C. chinense with some C. frutescens genes.

The Assamese word ‘‘jolokia’’ means the Capsicum pepper. The word Nāga means "King Cobra" in Sanskrit. The pepper is thought to originate from Nagaland in north-eastern India, and was originally named by the Naga people after the most venomous snake found in the region. The pepper's fierce "bite" is akin to the venom of a king cobra. It's also known as Naga Morich in Bangladesh, Nai Miris in Sri Lanka (Nai = 'Cobra', Miris = 'Chili'; in Sinhalese) and Bih Jolokia in the Indian state of Assam (Bih = 'poison', Jolokia = 'chili pepper'; in Assamese). Other names are Bhut Jolokia (Bhut = 'ghost', probably due to its ghostly bite or introduction by the Bhutias from Bhutan poison chili), Oo-Morok in Manipur (Oo = 'Tree', 'Oo' pronounced as in Book, Morok = 'Chilli'), Borbih Jolokia, Nagahari, Nagajolokia, Naga Moresh and Raja Mirchi ('King of Chillies'). Regardless of the nomenclature, they all refer to the same plant.

Ripe peppers measure 60 mm (2.4 in) to 85 mm (3.3 in) long and 25 mm (1.0 in) to 30 mm (1.2 in) wide with an orange or red color. They are similar in appearance to the Habanero pepper, but have a rougher, dented skin - a main characteristic of the Naga.

In 2000, scientists at India's Defence Research Laboratory (DRL) reported a rating of 855,000 units on the Scoville scale, and in 2004 an Indian company obtained a rating of 1,041,427 units through HPLC analysis. This makes it almost twice as hot as the Red Savina pepper, Guinness World Record holder at that time. For comparison, pure capsaicin (the chemical responsible for the pungency of pepper plants) rates at 15,000,000–16,000,000 Scoville units.

In 2005 at New Mexico State University Chile Pepper Institute near Las Cruces, New Mexico, Regents Professor Paul Bosland found Naga Jolokia grown from seed in southern New Mexico to have a Scoville rating of 1,001,304 SHU by HPLC.

In February 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia (Prof. Bosland's preferred name for the pepper) as the world's hottest chili pepper.

The effect of climate on the Scoville rating of Naga Jolokia peppers is dramatic. A 2005 Indian study that compared the percentage availability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in Naga Jolokia peppers grown in both Tezpur (Assam) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) showed that the heat of the pepper is decreased by over 50% in Gwalior's more arid climate (similar temperatures but less humid, much lower rainfall).

Scoville Rating: 1041427 (Highest Recorded)

Anaheim

The name Anaheim refers to a mild variety of the New Mexican chile pepper, which is a member of the Capsicum genus. New Mexican cultivars were developed in the state by Dr. Fabian Garcia about 100 years ago. They got the name "Anaheim" when a farmer named Emilio Ortega brought these seeds to the Anaheim, California, area in the early 1900s. They are also called California chile peppers. The chile "heat" of Anaheims typically ranges from 500 to 2,500 on the Scoville scale.^[1] Many varieties of New Mexico chiles reach 4,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

Scoville Rating: 500-5000

Aleppo

The Aleppo pepper is a variety of Capsicum annuum named after the town Aleppo in northern Syria. Most Aleppo peppers are grown in Syria.

It has a moderate heat level with some fruitiness and mild, cumin-like undertones. The most common form found is crushed flakes, which are typically slightly milder and more oily than conventional crushed red peppers, with a hint of saltiness and a slightly raisin-like flavor.

Aleppo pepper usually refers to the dried and coarsely ground spice, produced in Syria.

Scoville Rating: ???

Poblano

The Poblano is a very mild chile pepper originating in the State of Puebla, Mexico. One of the most popular peppers grown in Mexico, the plant (of the species Capsicum annuum) is multi-stemmed, and can reach 25 inches in height. The pod itself is about three to six inches long, and about two to three inches wide. An immature poblano is dark purplish green in color, but eventually turns a red so dark as to be nearly black. It can be prepared a number of ways, commonly including: dried, coated in whipped egg (capeado) and fried, stuffed, or in mole sauces. It is particularly popular during the Mexican independence festivities as part of a sophisticated dish called Chiles en Nogada which incorporates green, white and red ingredients corresponding to the colors of the Mexican flag. This very well may be considered as one of Mexico's most symbolic dishes by its nationals. Poblanos are also popular in the United States and can be found in many grocery stores in the states bordering Mexico and in urban areas.

After being roasted and peeled (which improves the texture by removing the waxy skin), it can be preserved by either canning or freezing. Storing Poblanos in airtight containers will also suffice for several months.

When dried, this pepper becomes a broad, flat, heart-shaped pod called an Ancho chile (meaning "wide" in Spanish), often ground into a powder used for flavoring recipes.

Another variety of dried poblano, which is darker in color, sweeter in flavor, and softer in texture, is called a Mulato chile.

"Poblano" is also the word for an inhabitant of Puebla, Mexico.

Scoville Rating: 1000-1500

Jalapeno

The jalapeno (Nahuatl: xalapeno (pronounced /ˌhæləˈpiːnoʊ/ or /ˌhæləˈpeɪnjoʊ/; Spanish pronunciation: [xalaˈpeɲo]) is a medium to large size chili pepper which is prized for its warm, burning sensation when eaten. Ripe, the jalapeno can be 2–3½ inches (5–9 cm) long and is commonly sold when still green. It is a cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum originating in Mexico. It is named after the town of Xalapa, Veracruz, where it was traditionally produced. 160 square kilometres are dedicated for the cultivation of jalapeno in Mexico alone, primarily in the Papaloapan river basin in the north of the state of Veracruz and in the Delicias, Chihuahua area. Jalapenos are also cultivated on smaller scales in Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chiapas. The jalapeno is known by different names throughout Mexico, such as cuaresmeños, huachinangos, and chiles gordos. Contrary to popular belief, jalapeno is properly spelled without the accent mark over the letter "n". The accent mark helps to prevent mispronunciation for people of non-latin origin, however it is not the proper way to write the word.

As of 1999^[update], 5,500 acres (22 km²) in the United States were dedicated to the cultivation of jalapenos. Most jalapenos were produced in southern New Mexico and western Texas.

Jalapenos are a pod type of Capsicum. The growing period for a jalapeno plant is 70–80 days. When mature, the plant stands two and a half to three feet tall. Typically, a single plant will produce twenty five to thirty five pods. During a growing period, a plant will be picked multiple times. As the growing season comes to an end, the jalapenos start to turn red. The fresh market consists of green jalapeños, and red jalapenos are considered inferior. Growers often either discard the red jalapeños into the ground or use them for the production of chipotles.

The jalapeno rates between 2,500 and 10,000 Scoville units in heat. In comparison with other chili peppers, the jalapeno has a heat level that varies from mild to hot depending on cultivation and preparation. The heat, which is caused by capsaicin and related compounds, is concentrated in the veins (placenta) surrounding the seeds, which are called picante. — deseeding and deveining can reduce the heat imparted to a recipe that includes jalapenos. They also have a distinct acidic taste. Handling fresh jalapenos may cause mild skin irritation in some individuals. Some handlers choose to wear latex or vinyl gloves while cutting, skinning, or seeding jalapenos.

Scoville Rating: 2500-8000