JALAPEñO

The 'jalapeño' is a small to moderate-size chili pepper that is prized for the warm, 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 in English (ha-la-PEN-yeo), and or 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 Papaloapan 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 cuaresmeños, 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 often either discard the red jalapeños into the ground or use them for the production of chipotles.

Contents

Culinary properties

Dishes

Health effects

See also

Culinary properties

In comparison with other chili 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.

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]

★ '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.

★ 'Jalapeño Poppers' are a popular appetizer made of jalapeño peppers stuffed with cheese, usually cheddar, which are then breaded and deep fried

★ Jalapeños are a common ingredient in most kinds of ''salsa''.

★ Sliced jalapeños are also often used as a flavorful addition to a number of common dishes including tacos, burritos, sandwiches, hot dogs, and pizza.

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, however, that excessive chili-pepper consumption has been linked to stomach cancer in India and Mexico. [6]

See also

★ List of capsicum cultivars