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Hot Stuff
| Article
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10439 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
2 / 1993 |
829 Words |
| Author
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Judith Fertig
Judith Fertig is president of the Kansas City Chapter of Les
Dames D'Escoffier, an international organization of
professional women in the culinary arts. She is also a member
of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. |
Somehow, it is very fitting to be talking about chili peppers--capsicums--in the winter of 1993. On March 1, the city of Bayona, Spain, will celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of the landing of the Pinta, returning from its voyage to the Americas with New World peppers for the Old World.
Columbus knew he had not found India or the Spice Islands, with their lucrative market in black pepper. But when he tasted the hot New World capsicums, he christened them peppers and hoped to introduce them as a more colorful version of the little black pepper corns (Piper nigrum). So, we have Columbus to thank for jalapenos, Anaheims, and serranos. And we also have him to thank for the linguistic confusion that followed.
Today, chili peppers have circled the globe. They're found in Thai curries, Portuguese sauces, Chinese stir-fries, African stews, Brazilian soups, and Hungarian chicken dishes. Capsicums are eaten fresh, stuffed and baked, roasted, dried, powdered, pickled, or in various Tabasco-like hot sauces. Cayenne and paprika appear on spice racks all over the world.
The popularity of chili peppers rests on the warmth they bring to a dish--anywhere from a mild glow to blowtorch hot. Experts rate chili potency on a scale of 0 to 120. Mild jalapenos rate a 20; the habanero rates a 120! The alkaloid capsaicin, found in the white inner ribs and seeds of capsicums, is the source of the heat. That's why you're always advised to wear rubber gloves while handling the hotter peppers or wash your hands afterward; capsaicin is a burning irritant, especially if it gets in your eyes. Depending on the amount, it causes watery eyes, runny nose, and perspiration. Yet some researchers have found capsaicin to be beneficial to headache sufferers.
The casein in milk and milk products can counteract capsaicin. That's why you'll find milky drinks or desserts common in cuisines that feature hot peppers. Lassi, an Indian yogurt drink, often accompanies a fiery vindaloo curry. And ice cream is a welcome respite from the heat of Texas firehouse chili, pungent with green Serrano peppers. A mild, rose-scented milk custard is just the antidote to follow a hot Thai red curry or an even hotter green curry.
And that leads us back to an intriguing question: How did capsicums end up where they did? Why Hungary? Why Angola? Why Thailand?
Chili peppers, rich in vitamin C, which
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