| Habanero | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A habanero chili | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Solanales |
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Genus: | Capsicum |
| Species: | C. chinense |
| Binomial name | |
| Capsicum chinense Jacq. |
|
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| Heat: Exceptionally Hot (SR: 100,000-350,000) |
The habanero chili (Capsicum chinense) (pronounced /ˌhɑːbəˈnɛəroʊ/; Spanish: [aβaˈneɾo]) is one of the most intensely spicy species of chili peppers of the Capsicum genus. It is sometimes spelled habañero—the diacritical mark being added as a hypercorrection.[1] Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. Common colors are orange and red, but white, brown, and pink are also seen. Typically a ripe habanero is 2–6 centimetres (0.79–2.4 in) long.
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Origin and current use
The habanero chili pepper most likely originated in the Yucatán Peninsula and its coastal regions. Upon its discovery by Hispanics, it was rapidly disseminated to other adequate climate areas of the world, to the point that 18th-century taxonomists mistook China for its place of origin and called it "Capsicum chinense"—the Chinese pepper.[2][3][4]
The chili's name is derived from the name of the Cuban city of La Habana, which is known as Havana in English. Although it is not the place of origin, it was frequently traded there.[5]
Rank on the Scoville Scale
Habenero chili peppers are rated 100,000–350,000 on the Scoville scale.
| Scoville rating | Type of pepper |
|---|---|
| 15,000,000–16,000,000 | Pure capsaicin[6] |
| 8,600,000–9,100,000 | Various capsaicinoids (e.g. homocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin) |
| 5,000,000–5,300,000 | Law Enforcement Grade pepper spray,[7] FN 303 irritant ammunition |
| 855,000–1,050,000 | Naga Jolokia (a.k.a. Ghost pepper)[8][9] |
| 350,000–580,000 | Red Savina Habanero[10][11] |
| 100,000–350,000 | Habanero chili,[12] Scotch Bonnet Pepper,[12] Datil pepper, Rocoto, African Birdseye, Madame Jeanette, Jamaican Hot Pepper[13] |
| 50,000–100,000 | Thai Pepper,[14] Malagueta Pepper,[14] Chiltepin Pepper, Pequin Pepper[14] |
| 30,000–50,000 | Cayenne Pepper, Ají pepper,[12] Tabasco pepper, some Chipotle peppers, Cumari pepper (Capsicum Chinese) |
| 10,000–23,000 | Serrano Pepper, some Chipotle peppers |
| 2,500–8,000 | Jalapeño Pepper, Guajillo pepper, New Mexican varieties of Anaheim pepper,[15] Paprika (Hungarian wax pepper) |
| 500–2,500 | Anaheim pepper, Poblano Pepper, Rocotillo Pepper |
| 100–500 | Pimento, Peperoncini |
| 0 | No heat, Bell pepper |
See also
Gallery
 A habanero plant with chiles |
.jpg) A habanero plant with fruit and flower |
 Fruit habanero 'orange' |
 Habaneros. |
References
- ^ Languagehat.com:HABANERO
- ^ Bosland, P.W. 1996. Capsicums: Innovative uses of an ancient crop. p. 479-487. In: J. Janick (ed.), Progress in new crops. ASHS Press, Arlington, VA.
- ^ Bosland, "The History of the Chile Pepper"
- ^ Eshbaugh, W.H. 1993. History and exploitation of a serendipitous new crop discovery. pages 132-139. In: J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.), New crops. Wiley, New York as reproduced at "Uncle Steve's Hot Stuff"
- ^ Santa Ana III, Rod. "Texas Plant Breeder Develops Mild Habanero Pepper." AgNews, 12 August 2004.
- ^ Uhl (1996), op. cit. "The HPLC measures the capsaicinoid(s) in ppm, which can then be converted to Scoville units using a conversion factor of 15, 20 or 30 depending on the capsaicinoid." This would make capsaicin 15,000,000
- ^ "The Police Policy Studies Council". www.theppsc.org. http://www.theppsc.org/Staff_Views/Czarnecki/chemical_hazards_in_law_enforcement.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-09. "Most law enforcement sprays have a pungency of 500,000 to 2 million SHU. One brand has sprays with 5.3 million SHU."
- ^ Shaline L. Lopez (2007). "NMSU is home to the world's hottest chile pepper". http://www.nmsu.edu/~ucomm/Releases/2007/february/hottest_chile.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-21.
- ^ AP (23 February 2007). "World's hottest chili pepper a mouthful for prof". CNN. Archived from the original on 2007-03-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20070322224224/http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/23/hot.pepper.ap/index.html.
- ^ "What is a Habanero Pepper?". wisegeek.com. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-habanero-pepper.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ "World's hottest chile pepper discovered". American Society for Horticultural Science. http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-news-1/Worlds-hottest-chile-pepper-discovered-991-1/. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
- ^ a b c "Chile Pepper Heat Scoville Scale". About.com. http://homecooking.about.com/library/weekly/blhotchiles.htm. Retrieved 2006-09-25.
- ^ "The Scoville Scale". http://www.happystove.com/recipes/scoville.php.
- ^ a b c "Scoville Scale Chart for Hot Sauce and Hot Peppers". ScottRobertsWeb.com. http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale.php. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- ^ "Anaheim Pepper" (PDF). Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University. 2007. http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/documents/chileheat.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-22.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Capsicum chinense |
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