Chilli’s have the ability to generate heat like no other food on earth, both when we eat them and when we talk about them. Political and religious arguments are tame by comparison to the debates on chillies as they are often fierce and emotional with all parties convinced that they not only have all the answers, but certainly the best chilli’s. Here are some interesting facts and unusual recipes for you to chew on. Whilst it’s common cause that Columbus discovered Capsicums only 500 years ago and that they dominate the trade in hot spices world wide today, their origin is much more complex than that -

if only because of the fact that humans could have, unconsciously, moved the various species’ around. That simple fact made it a little difficult for scientists to pin point exactly where it all started, especially in view of the various species available on earth. For the purposes of our purpose  we’ll lump together all the species that are of interest to us and say that  they all originated in different areas, chiefly in and around Bolivia, Northern Latin America, Amazonia, mid-Andean South America, coastal Peru, Coastal Brazil and Mexico as well as Asia (a new theory being bandied about, as yet untested).

• The word cayenne comes from the Tupi Indians who are from the NE of Southern America – these pods originated in French Guiana and was named after the Cayenne River or the capital of the country, Cayenne.
• In the Assam region in India an overly hot Chinense chile is found with an elongated shape, broad at the top and nothing like the shape of the normal chilli’s.
• In China a cultivar with similar pods to the above are found, so it’s not as new as all that (the fatali and the datili). I don’t recommend that you try it unless you are a very experienced “chilli-head“! Chili’s can be dangerous and I believe that food is about eating for pleasure – the dangers involved in eating these chilli’s are very real and it is not known, despite advertising to the contrary, whether they are used in local cuisine at all.

There are twenty seven species of chillies and five of them have been domesticated and categorized as:

• Annuum
• Baccatum
• Chinense (Asia – China, India)
• Frutescens
• Pubescens

For interest sake, here are a few varieties (please note that I have deliberately excluded all bell peppers and sweet peppers since they contain no capsaicin and are, therefore, not hot).

THE FACTS

The species Annuum gives us the Aleppo, Anaheim, Ancho (which is also called the Poblano when it’s eaten fresh), Cayenne, Chilaca, Chiltepin, Cubanelle, De árbol, Dundicut, Fresno, Guajilo, Habanero, Hungarian wax, Jalapeño (aka Chipotle when it has been smoked), Japanese, Mirasol, Macho chili, Mulato (again, known as the poblano when it is fresh), Niora, New Mexico (better known as the Anaheim), Pasilla, Pepperoncino, Piquín, Pimento (cherry pepper), Puya, Serrano, Tien Tsin – to name a few. The Chinense gives us the Habanero and the Scotch bonnet and stronger and the Frutescens (also known as the barbaré) gives us Thai Peppers, the Fresh Indian Green Chillies and the Piri Piri known affectionately to all South Africans as the African Devil! Of interest would be something like the Naga Jolokia Pepper which has as parents both the Chinense and the Frutescens. The hottest of the hot usually come from the Frutescens.

Capsaicin is the active component in the chillies that causes the burning sensation. It is a molecule and was first discovered by a group of scientists headed up by a pharmocologist named Bucholz and 30 years later it was named “capsaicin” by Thresh. In other words, a chilli can be called a capsicum but not a capsaicin!

Chilli’s are enjoyed cooked, raw, dried, pickled, smoked and roasted. The varieties that fall under the categories of frutescens and annuum are generally cooked whilst the rest are enjoyed raw. They can be preserved in a myriad of ways and have been dried, powdered and preserved under oil for centuries.

The heat of the chillies are measured according to the Scoville Scale – this was invented by Wilbur Scoville in 1912 and is known as the Scoville Oranoleptic test. It starts with the ordinary sweet pepper and goes up to the Habanero that clocks in at a rating of 300,000!!! It works like this:

• Mild: 0 to 5000
• Medium: 5000 to 20,000
• Hot: 20,000 to 70,000
• Extremely hot and can be dangerous: 70,000 to 300,000

GARNISHES

Whilst many purists are dead against using garnishes, I think they are really good with chillies.

• Avocado’s – if you think you are going to get the full flavour of the Avocado when you are eating chillies, you are sadly mistaken. They are however, smooth and creamy and somehow just perfect to use as a garnish.
• Cheese – not my favourite garnish but millions of Mexicans and Americans love grated Cheddar and Montery Jack paired with chopped white or yellow onions with their chillies, so do try.
• Chillies – believe it or not, there are those that do add a little chopped or sliced jalapeño, rajas (strips or roasted poblano’s), chilli oil (I drop finely chopped dried chilli’s with their seeds into some good olive oil and use that to enhance flavour when I have been forced to make the chilli a little weaker than I would like) and then finally you do get those people that insist on having a few chillipiquins or African Devils with their chilli. Good luck to them.
• Crunchy Bits – like crumbled up tortilla chips are popular in many Mexican households and I must admit, it is rather tasty even though the thought is a tad off-putting.
• Coriander – fresh chopped coriander leaves are a must and add zest to the dish.
• Olives – believe it or not, are wonderful with chilli’s and should, preferably be used as a garnish and not in the chili unless you are doing something like penne al’arabbiata which is done really quickly and works perfectly. Spaghetti alla Putanesca of course as well.
• Sour Cream or yoghurt – cool and refreshing with light creamy texture and enough acidity are another on my list of musts when you are having really hot chilli.

Chilli’s are so varied and I have made so many dishes over the years that I needed to spend some considerable time deciding which I would put it. I hope you like these.

CHILLI JAM

For those of you that have too many chilli’s and don’t know what to do with them, this is a great idea – especially over the festive season.

Ingredients

• 1 kg tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 12 fresh chilli’s, sliced and without seeds removed
• 500 g sugar
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (available in most retailers and not expensive at all)
• 80 ml white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt

Method

• Mix the chopped tomatoes with the sugar and allow them to stand overnight in the refrigerator.
• Add all the ingredients as well as the tomatoes to a large pot and simmer them until they are thick – about an hour, but check constantly so that the mixture does not burn.
• Pour into sterile jars, allow to cool and refrigerate as soon as it has cooled down.

Serve with anything you feel like – super with cheese, meat, crackers … you name it.

MUSTARD CHILLI ZEST

This is an interesting way to add zest to curries and boring dishes – it has no origin and has probably been inspired by Cape Town and the huge variety of spices available in the city.

Ingredients

• 125 grams fresh green Serrano or Thai Chilli’s, sliced cross ways, do not remove the seeds
• ¼ mustard oil (or light olive oil)
• 1 heaped tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, cracked in a pestle and mortar
• 1 tablespoon Maldon Sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground Turmeric
• 1 lemon, zest and juice

Method

• Put the chilli’s into a clean and sterile, glass jar;
• Warm the oil (not boil) in a pan over medium heat, stir in the mustard seeds and allow them to get warm but not fry for about 2 minutes, pour over the chilli’s, stir in the salt, the lemon juice and zest, close the lid firmly and shake well so that everything is mixed thoroughly – the chilli’s will lose their bright green colour with the turmeric and yellow mustard seeds.
• Allow to rest for about 6 hours un-refrigerated and use with curries or any dish that requires a little fire.
• Optional – add chopped basil

FIERY PINEAPPLE SALAD

Ingredients

• 1 whole pineapple, peeled, slice or cubed
• 2 heaped teaspoons cayenne pepper

Method

• Place pineapple cubes in a bowl and sprinkle the cayenne over.
• Working as quickly as possibly and using your hands mix the cayenne and the pineapple so that the pineapple is well coated with cayenne.
• Place in a clean salad bowl, cover and refrigerate and serve with cheese dishes, like fondue.

FUSION CHILLI MINCE

Ingredients

• 500 g minced beef
• 500 g red kidney beans or a mixture of red kidney and cannelini, cooked
• 500 g fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 12 Thai chilli’s finely chopped, seeds not removed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted
• 1 tablespoon chopped dried pears
• 1 substantial handful chopped coriander
• Extra Virgin Olive oil to taste
• Salt

Method

• Fry mince as as per Basically Mince and set aside;
• Fry onions and chilli’s until the onions are glassy at which point you add the cumin;
• Spoon minced beef into the onion and chilli mixture, stir well and add the beans and the tomatoes, the dried fruit (which includes the raisins), the lemon zest, the garlic and stir well so that everything is combined well.
• Simmer until the majority of the liquid has evaporated and you have a thick, sloppy minced mixture.
• Stir in coriander and fresh virgin olive oil.
• And finally, a really quick tip:

CHILLI CHOCOLATE SAUCE FOR DUMMIES

Melt 200 g Lindt dark chocolate (75% cocoa solids) with in 1 tablespoon honey, a few chilli seeds (about 10) and 250 ml whipping cream for a delicious chocolate sauce!

Have fun with these.