Also known as bhut jolokia, ghost peppers rose to fame in the early 2000s and still carry a significant amount of notoriety. Ghost peppers are a hybrid of two chili pepper cultivars that were brought from the Americas. This Capsicum chinense cultivar originated in the Indian state of Assam and is world famous for its extreme pungency and heat, but is it good for you? Do you get any health benefits from eating ghost peppers? The answer is, yes; ghost peppers do have beneficial characteristics to go along with that wicked heat.
Matt Bray
7 Pot Primo Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses
What are 7 Pot Primo peppers? What happens when two super-hots meet? Another hottie is born. The 7 Pot Primo is the fiery cross between the wickedly hot Naga Morich and the equally scorching 7 Pot pepper. This is a stable hybrid – having reached …
Anaheim Pepper Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?
Anaheim chilies have a mild and sweet flavor that works well in many foods. Being a larger pepper, they can be used in the same dishes for which poblanos are traditionally used, like the popular chile rellenos. And like other chilies, they are very good for you. Let’s break down Anaheim pepper nutrition to see just what makes them so healthy.
Spicy Sour Cream
A simple sour cream hack…
Sour cream and Mexican food often goes hand in hand. Sometimes there’s plenty of spice already in that Mexican meal, and other times…well you need a little something extra to amp things up a bit. It’s very simple to turn that sour cream you’re scooping right from the container into a topping that’s a little more fun. Our spicy sour cream recipe is as easy as it gets: just a little chipotle powder and salt and you have a delicious topper for those mild tacos or enchiladas.
We love using chipotle pepper because it’s not only spicy, it also has a delicious smokiness to it. But if smoky isn’t your thing, you can adjust the recipe using various levels of paprika and cayenne pepper powder. They can still bring some heat without that smoky undertone.
Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” Guide: Heat, Flavor, Uses
What are Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” peppers? A strain of the infamous Trinidad Scorpion pepper, the Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” was once the hottest pepper in the world – holding the Guinness Book of World Records title in 2011. This is truly a global strain, …
Pepperoncini Nutrition: How Healthy Are They?
Pepperoncini only slightly tip the needle of the pepper scale – only 100 to 500 Scoville heat units – making them a popular (and family-friendly) option to add a hint of spice. They are typically pickled and used in salads, sandwiches, and condiments like bomba calabrese. In addition to being flavorful, pepperoncini peppers have several properties that make them good for you. Let’s break down pepperoncini nutrition to see what makes this hot pepper tick.
Komodo Dragon Pepper: Fire Bringer
Slow-burn super-hot…
Scoville heat units (SHU): 1,400,000 – 2,200,000
Jalapeño reference point: 175 to 880 times hotter
Origin: United Kingdom
Seeds: Komodo Dragon seeds on Amazon
Blistering hot is the only way to describe the Komodo Dragon pepper. With a spiciness that rivals (but doesn’t quite beat) the Carolina Reaper, this super-hot chili is no doubt for extreme eaters only. Like the ghost pepper, it has a “sneaky heat”, a slow burn that allows a lovely fruity flavor to set before knocking your socks off. And unlike most other super-hots, the Komodo Dragon pepper has a place on the supermarket aisle – at least in the United Kingdom where it’s carried in Tesco supermarkets throughout the country.
Homemade Sambar Powder
An exotic Indian seasoning…
There are a few lightly fiery seasonings that are musts for authentic Indian cuisine, and sambar powder is among one of the most important. It’s used to make sambar, a delicious lentil-based soup that’s often a precursor (or a side) to the main Indian meal. Sambar powder, too, can be a substitute to rasam powder for making rasam – a thin soup that’s typically served atop rice.
In both cases, it’s the popular Indian kashmiri chili that provides a light simmer of heat. These are mild peppers (1,000 to 2,000 Scoville heat units), but enough are called for in the recipe that you’ll feel the spiciness.
Chili Powder Nutrition: How Healthy Is It?
Chili powder is a spice blend that consists of powdered chili peppers along with other spices. The spices commonly used are those that typically show up in authentic Latin American cooking. They include powdered chili peppers, garlic, and cumin. The pepper in chili powder is typically …
Slap Ya Mama Cajun Pepper Sauce Ingredients: What Makes It Tick?
Slap Ya Mama Cajun Pepper Sauce is made in Ville Platte in Louisiana’s Evangeline Parish, which makes it about as authentic as you can get when it comes to Cajun cooking. It was invented by Anthony Walker, who ran the family’s deli. According to the Slap Ya Mama website, he wanted a seasoning blend that had the authentic Cajun flavor without the high salt content found in nationally-distributed brands. He couldn’t find one so he set to work making his own version. So is the hot sauce the same ingredients as the seasoning? Let’s break down this hot sauce ingredient by ingredient.
