There are about 4000 different types of chilies in the world. Did you know that? Did you also know that chili belongs to the Capsicum family? It´s the same art as potatoes, tomatoes, aubergine as well as the tobacco.
Chili has a long history and the archaeological evidence shows that in Ecuador the chili peppers was used for more than 6000 years ago. Today, the chili is very popular and as many as ¾ of the world population eat chili every day.
Some are spicy. Some are not. Not all chilis are spicy. The red chili fruits, that are riper, is also fuller bodied and then stronger in the taste than the green chili. And the small chilis are normally stronger than the bigger ones.
The heat of a chili is measured after the Scoville scale. The scale indicates a unit that measure the experienced heat of the chili and the level of Capsaicin, the chemical substance in the chili that makes its heat.
Photo cred: ChuChum
The Scoville grading starts at 0 and goes up to 300 000. The milder versions you will find in the range of 1000. A normal paprika has a Scoville level of 0. The Habanero chili on the other hand goes up to
300 000 (!). The strongest chili in the world, is said to be Trinidad Scorpio, with a Scoville of 1 463 700.
Some Chili sorts on the Scoville scale: Habanero: 300000 Piri Piri: 150000 Chili Jalapeño Pepper: 30000 Cayenne Pepper: 20000 Red Hot Chili Pepper: 15000 Chili Pepper: 1500 Chili Ancho Style: 1000 Paprika: 0
Why is a chilis spiciness (heat) come from? The heat mainly comes from where the seeds are “rooted” and in the middle walls. Maybe you cooked with chili and you tested the chili before adding it to your food, and you did not find it spicy. Then you might have tried a piece at tip. When you finally put the chili into the food, it got far spicier as you use the other parts of it as well.
That burns. You had a bit too much chili or it was way to hot. What do you do then? Don´t try water to calm it down. Better to go for milk, yoghurt or white bread. The water spreads the capsaicin (see above about Capsaicin) in your mouth, and you will experience that it just gets worse. Milk on the other hand contains casein (the protein in milk) and this substance helps to break the bonds of the capsaicin. You could say that the casein surrounds and washes away the capsaicin.
Storing Chili Fresh chili is better to be stored in a fridge and around 10 degrees. Then it could be store for 1-2 weeks. Dry chili, like chili powder, could stay for months if you store it in a dry, cool and dark place. Don't forget to seal the chili container.
The origin of chili The chili originally comes from Central- and Latin America and found its way to Europe with the help of Christopher Columbus and Doctor Diego Álvarez Chanca. They brought this spicy fruit to Europe in the year of 1494. At that time, the value of this pressures plant, was as high as silver.
Columbus thought that he carried some pepper back home to Europe. Therefore, we still “wrongly” name chili as pepper, as the red peppers was similar in its shape and also taste.
The plant was nurtured in Spain and Portugal, mainly in the gardens of the monasteries. The monks first experimented culinary with the chili and was aslo discovered to be able too often replace the expensive black pepper.
Doctor Diego Álvarez Chanca made research about the medical benefits of chilis. The plant was often used for treating colds, arthritis and inflammations.
What's more in the chili? The chili has more C-vitamin than an orange. It also contains A- and B-vitamin, magnesium, potassiumas well as canteen. The chili (the capsaicin) is also said to be able increase metabolism.
The chili sauces from ChuChum are handmade and in the production only fresh chili is used. That makes the taste full, round and spicy but "not just spicy". These products you find in our assortment.
Photo cred: ChuChum
Sources: köket.se / Santa Maria World / hemberg.se / foodnetwork.com / junglerain.com.au
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