Jalapeño
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| Capsicum annuum |
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| Heat : Medium (SR: 2,500-8,000) |
The jalapeño is a small to medium-sized chile pepper that is prized for the hot, burning sensation that it produces in the mouth when eaten. Ripe, the jalapeño can be 2–3½ inches (5–9 cm) and either red, or more commonly, green. It is a cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum. The name jalapeño is pronounced IPA: [hɑləˈpeɪnjoʊ] in English (hah-luh-PANE-yo), and IPA: [xalaˈpeɲo] or IPA: [halaˈpeɲo] in original Spanish (depending on dialect). It is named after the city of Xalapa, Veracruz, where it was traditionally produced. 160 square kilometres are dedicated for the cultivation of jalapeño in Mexico alone; primarily in the Paloapán river basin in the north of the state of Veracruz and in the Delicias, Chihuahua area. Jalapeño is also cultivated in smaller scale in Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa and Chiapas. The jalapeño is known by different names throughout Mexico. Jalapeños are also known as cuaresmenos, huachinangos and chiles gordos.
As of 1999, 5,500 acres (22.3 km²) in the United States were dedicated to the cultivation of jalapeños. Most jalapeños were produced in southern New Mexico and western Texas.
Jalapeños are a pod type of Capsicum. The growing period for a jalapeño 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 jalapeños start to turn red. The fresh market is for green jalapeños and red jalapeños are considered inferior. Growers either discard the red jalapeños into the ground or use them for the production of chipotles.
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[edit] Culinary properties
In comparison with other chile peppers, the jalapeño has a heat level that varies from mild to hot depending on cultivation and preparation. Most sources agree that the heat, which is caused by capsaicin and related compounds, is concentrated in the seeds and the veins — deseeding and deveining can reduce the heat imparted to a recipe that includes jalapeños. They also have a distinct acidic taste. The jalapeño rates between 2,500 and 10,000 Scoville units in heat. Handling fresh jalapeños may cause mild skin irritation in some individuals. Some handlers choose to wear latex or vinyl gloves while cutting, skinning, or seeding jalapeños.
[edit] Trivia
A moustached "jalapeño" wearing mariachi sombrero called "Pique" was the 1986 FIFA World Cup mascot. "Pique" comes from Picante which is a Spanish adjective that derives from picar, which means "to sting", referring to the feeling caused by salsas on one's tongue.
[edit] Dishes
- A chipotle is a jalapeño that has been smoked. It is often found in adobo sauce.
- Jalapeño jelly, while not commercially available in as wide an area as other jalapeño products, can be prepared in a method similar to other jellies. [1] [2]
- Jalapeños are a common ingredient in most kinds of salsa.
- Armadillo eggs are stuffed jalapeños, a popular 1990s American dish. [3]
- Texas torpedo is another name for cheese-stuffed jalapeños. [4]
- Texas toothpicks are jalapeño peppers and onions that are shaved into straws, lightly breaded, and deep fried. [5]
- Oddly, jalapeños are a principal ingredient in the alternative soda Blue Brainwash.
- Jalapeño Slammers are a popular appetizer made of jalapeño peppers wrapped in pastrami, lightly breaded, and deep fried.
[edit] Health effects
Jalapeños contain a substance called capsaicin that has shown to have anti-cancer effects. However the amount needed to achieve this effect is relatively high, with up to eight habanero peppers per week (roughly equivalent to 24 jalapeños). It should be noted that high jalapeño consumption has been linked to stomach cancer in India and Mexico. [6]
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Scoville Units Foods - a division of The Scoville Institute of Food Technology
