Understanding Chiles

Chili peppers provide the most popular seasoning in the world but should the plant be spelled chile, chili, chilli, or chili pepper? I'd like to clear up not only the spelling chaos, but also confusion about chile usage and names.

First, however, a few facts. Chile plants are related to tomatoes and eggplants. They are produced in over 200 varieties; 100 alone of which are indigenous to Mexico. Chili peppers are used in a wide variety of cuisines including those from Mexico, Africa, Chinese (Szechwan), Thai, South American, and Indian. India is currently the largest chile producer. The peppers range in size from ¼ inch to 1 foot, and, when ripe, can be yellow, green, red, or even black. Chiles are used both when fresh (chiles frescos) or can be dried (chiles secos).

While there is not yet a standard for spelling, it is evolving as follows: chili refers to the popular prepared dish of beef (con carne) or beans, tomatoes, and chili powder. In the U.S., the actual pepper is called either a chili pepper or chile. Outside of the U.S., the world tends to use chilli. Nomenclature is also a problem when dealing with specific chiles.

Not only do some chiles have two different names, but often the name of the chile changes when it is in the dried form. Pimento, for example, is called Paprika when it is dried. Other common changes are the poblano or mulato chile, which becomes the ancho or pasilla chile when dried. A smoked jalapeno is called chipotle, the Anaheim chile becomes a California chile, and serranos become japones.

Another word that is useful to remember when thinking of chiles is capsaicin. Chiles are hot due to the presence of capsaicin (a chemical compound), 80% of which is found in the veins and seeds. Freezing or heating doesn't effect capsaicin or heat; the only way to reduce the heat of a pepper is to scrape away the seeds and ribs.

Capsaicin attaches to hands, so when scraping a chile use either rubber gloves or wash your hands immediately afterwards. If you touch your eyes after scraping a chile, you will understand pain. Capsaicin is not water soluble, so swallowing water to cool your mouth after heating a hot chile is ineffective. The best thing to do is swallow milk or yogurt; sometimes eating bread will also help. Over time, you do develop a tolerance for capsaicin, which is why habitants of chile eating cultures can eat much hotter foods than others, and you should be careful ordering hot food in an authentic Indian or Thai restaurant.

Occasionally, when you see a chile described, the description includes the words Scoville unit. Scoville units are the standard measurement for how much heat a particular chile carries and can range from 0 (sweet bell peppers) to 500,000 (habaneros or scotch bonnets). If the Scoville measurement is not available, the rule of thumb in judging heat is to go by size.

In general, the smaller the chile, the hotter. Age since harvesting effects heat (lowers it). Also, different parts of the same chili pepper can have different heat. Color has no bearing on heat; it is simply a measure of ripeness. Most peppers will turn red when ripe, some are yellow.

Chili powder is also a confusing term. As noted above, chili refers to the prepared dish made with beef or beans, tomatoes, and chili powder. Bottled chili powder is not just ground, dried chili peppers. While there is no established formula for chili powder, it usually is a mixture of about 80% dried chiles, with additives such as garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. So it is useful to try various brands at the store, and choose whichever one like you like best (I personally like Spice Islands or Penzeys mail order).

If you want to make your own, as a starting point try the following combination: 1 1/2 ounces dried and ground ancho, ½ ounce cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander. For maximum flavor, toast the dried chile first either in a hot, cast iron or heavy-bottomed pan with no oil added, or in oil in any pan. The dried chile can be ground as is, or soaked in hot water and then ground.

When starting to experiment with chilies, I suggest you start with Poblanos, which are now fairly common. They are not as hot as jalapenos, but have a lot more flavor than New Mexican chiles or bell peppers.  Poblanos are mildly hot, are large and easy to work with, and bring not only a little heat but also wonderful flavor to a dish. They can be chopped, or cut in half and stuffed. Poblanos are easy to roast, a process that maximizes flavor for any chile.

Roasting is very simple if you have a gas stove and just a few chili peppers (this holds for sweet peppers as well), insert a large fork in the pepper or use a long handled pair of tongs to hold the pepper in the gas flame. The outside will char and turn black. When black all over, wrap in plastic or put in a brown paper bag. The steam will loosen the charred skin and it can be peeled off with a paring knife quite easily. If you don't have a gas flame or need to roast a large number of peppers, put them on a sheet pan in a very hot oven, (500 degrees) and turn to blacken all over. If roasting hot peppers, be very wary of any smoke or fumes your eyes will be effected.

Finally, some advice on purchasing and storing chiles. Fresh chiles should neither be blemished nor shriveled. Store them loosely wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Dried chiles should be unbroken, unblemished, and still pliable with vibrant color. They should be stored in a sealed container in a dark, cool, dry place.