Chili pepper
Capsicum annuum and Capsicum chinense
Similar veggies:
Peppers, padron peppers
Other names
Chilli
A quick introduction
We grow chilies of many sizes, colours, shapes and levels of spiciness. Beware of the habanero and adjuma chilies that look like miniature bell peppers but are extremely spicy. The pungency of some peppers is just off the scale... or is it? Did you know that American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville actually introduced a scale that measures the 'heat' of chili peppers in 1912? It reflects the amount of capsaicinoids present in a chili pepper and was inventively named the Scoville scale.
Storage
Peppers can be frozen or dried in order to use them in small quantities over a longer period of time.
Season
Summer and fall
Suggestions for preparation
We recommend you always taste-test our chilies before you decide how much to add to your cooking as they vary greatly in spiciness and flavour. Scrape out the seeds and pith if you want to tame down the spiciness a little. Use gloves when handling very spicy chilies and take care not to touch your face directly after cutting them.
recipes
3 recipes that use lots of chili by Ottolenghi.