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Habanero Chile
Habanero chile [ah-bah-NEH-roh] This distinctively flavored, extremely hot chili is small and lantern-shaped. It's native to the Caribbean, the Yucatan and the north coast of South America. The habanero ranges from light green to bright orange when ripe. It's generally used for sauces in both its fresh and dried form. (from THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst, Barron's Educational Services, Inc.) But more, much more than that,to those who are so persuaded, they are a passion. They are the only chile that gives such a satisfying heat after it leaves the mouth. Furthermore, they have a distinctive, almost fruity taste, which is addicting.
The habanero (and other really hot chilies) produce a euphoria a few minutes after they are ingested because they cause the body to secrete endorphins. Endorphins are the body's own natural pain relievers. The chemical makeup of endorphins is similar to that of the opiates. Yes, you can get hooked on hot chilies. Just ask the whole western hemisphere.
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But, don't worry, D-TRAIN'S Hot Pepper Sauce is here to provide your fix when you get hooked. It is an addiction you want to cultivate for several reasons. The best part is the fellowship of fellow hot sauce lovers. Also, it is a medical fact that chilies are a very good source of vitamins A, C, and others. In addition, they stimulate the circulation in the digestive tract thereby aiding in digestion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the hottest pepper?
A. The Red Savina Habanero is the hottest pepper yet tested, more than 350,000 Scoville Units (SU). Some scientists in India claim to have "created" a hotter pepper, the Tezpur, but official results aren't in yet.
Q. What is the hottest pepper sauce?
A. Once the hot sauce craze got started many companies wanted to lay claim to making the hottest sauce. This lead to fierce competition, with each new sauce outdoing the last, making it hard to keep up with who has the hottest sauce since it may change from month to month. Once a sauce reaches more than 50,000 SU, however, it is nearly inedible anyway. Some products claim to have heat levels of 1,500,000, 2,000,000, 4,000,000, and even 6,000,000 SU! Actually, for legal reasons, they can't even call them sauces. They're considered cooking additives.
Q. What the heck is a Scoville Unit?
A. In 1912 Wilber Scoville devised what he called the Scoville Organoleptic Test to measure the heat levels of chiles. Unfortunately, this was a comparative test done by taste that was completely subjective. Now a more sophisticated test, which uses liquid chromotography, is used to determine the capsaicin level in chiles. However, in honor of Dr. Wilbur, the heat level of chile peppers is still measured in what are called Scoville Units.
Q. Do chile peppers really spin while cooking in a pan?
A. Yes . . . sort of. North of the equator chile peppers spin in a clockwise direction at approximate speeds of between 0.7 to 0.8 rpm depending on the temperature of the pan. South of the equator they spin counter-clockwise. At the equator itself they don't spin at all, but merely hop around the pan.
Q. Why are chile peppers so hot?
A. The compound capsaicin (cap-SAY-a-sin) is what causes the burning sensation. Capsaicin is mainly concentrated in the white pithy ribs inside the pepper, but a good amount can also be found in the seeds. Since they are indigestable by the human stomach and intestines, seeds can sometimes cause some discomfort the next morning when they're, ahem, passed from the body.
Q. What can I do about that buring sensation?
A. Milk products contain casein, a protein, which breaks the bond between the pain receptors and the capsaican. Unfortunately, it only works as long as the casein is present, which mostly dissapears once the milk is swallowed.
Q. Are chile peppers addictive?
A. No. But continued exposure to capsaicin builds a tolerance to the compound, therefore requiring more capsaicin to be present to feel the same level of heat.
Q. Why do we call them "peppers"?
A. When Columbus landed in North America he though he was in the far east, a major source of black pepper and other spices. He found what he mistook for pepper plants and began calling the fruit of these plants "peppers."
Q. Which spelling is correct, chile or chili?
A. Chile. The other spelling is the short name used to refer to the hot and spicy American dish with the Spanish name: chili con carne. Yet another term, chilli, often pertains to the dried powdered spice which is a blend of dried chiles and other spices.
Q. Are chile peppers good for you?
A. Yes. They are packed with high amounts of vitamin C and beta carotene. The chile alkaloid capsaicin is also currently used to relieve arthritis, certain forms of neuralgia, psoriasis and some post-operative pains in patients. And research is currently under way to test prevailing theories that chile peppers have blood thinning properties, help speed up metabolism after meals that include them, stimulate circulation, and relieve constipation. The most promising research may show that chiles reduce low-density lipoproteins ("bad" cholesterol) without affecting high-density lipoproteins ("good" cholesterol).
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