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Are you enjoying the heat and aroma of chili peppers? Well, that’s spicy enough on its own, but how about we sprinkle in a few interesting facts about them? That way, you can dazzle your pals who are just getting acquainted with the fiery world of spiciness. Below, check out 10 fascinating things about chili peppers and their heat!
1. The Scoville Test was an Organoleptic Chili Adventure
Wilbur Lincoln Scoville, born in 1865, was an American pharmacist famous for creating the Scoville Organoleptic Test, now standardized and known as the Scoville Scale. For this test, an alcohol extract of capsaicin oil is made from dried peppers. The goal is to mix this extract with water until tasters can no longer detect the heat. The number of Scoville units a pepper receives depends on how much water is added to the capsaicin oil solution before the heat becomes undetectable.
For example, if a pepper has 50,000 Scoville units, it means the capsaicin oil extract was diluted 50,000 times before tasters couldn’t feel the heat anymore. Testers only sample one solution, and there’s a waiting period before they can taste again to avoid influencing results. Despite efforts, the test is subjective since it relies on the imprecise human sense of taste. Nowadays, heat is measured in labs using an HPLC device, converting capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin concentrations into the Scoville Scale, which remains the standard for measuring spiciness.
2. Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Never Made It Into the Guinness Book of Records
Trinidad Scorpion Moruga peppers were rumored to be the hottest in the world but never made it into the Guinness Book of Records due to how heat was measured.
While individual Trinidad Scorpion Moruga pods can reach over 2,000,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units), when averaged across multiple pods, which is a more realistic measure, the heat is around 1,200,000 SHU, which at the time was insufficient for a record. The Carolina Reaper remains the hottest pepper globally, with over 1,500,000 SHU.
3. Seeds Aren’t the Hottest Part of a Pepper
There’s a myth that removing the seeds from a pepper makes it less spicy. However, the hottest part of chili peppers is the white membrane to which the seeds are attached.
When removing the seeds, part of this membrane is also removed, leading to the misconception that the heat resides in the seeds. While seeds have some heat, it’s negligible compared to the spiciness stored in the white spongy membrane.
4. Chili Peppers Originated from America
More specifically, from the southern part of North America, known today as Mexico, and from there, they spread worldwide.
5. China Leads the World in Chili Pepper Production
China holds the title for the largest producer of chili peppers globally, with a whopping 46.2% share of the total production. Following China are Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia, and India. However, considering China’s sheer size, absolute numbers might not be the best metric.
Interestingly, India takes the crown as the world’s largest exporter of chili peppers, followed by Spain and the Netherlands, which might provide a better indication of cultivation quantity per capita.
6. Only Mammals Feel the Heat of Chili Peppers
The spiciness of chili peppers serves as a natural defense mechanism against mammals attempting to eat them. The danger with mammals lies in their ability to crush and destroy the seeds when they consume peppers, preventing them from germinating later.
In contrast, birds can ingest the seeds without damaging them, allowing them to pass through the digestive tract and germinate afterward. The only hiccup in this plan? Humans at some point developed a fondness for the heat of chili peppers and disrupted their intended purpose. 🙂
7. Wasabi Packs a Punch, but Not from Capsaicin
Wasabi, primarily found in Japan, derives its heat not from capsaicin like chili peppers but from isothiocyanates, which vaporize and have a greater impact on the respiratory tract than the tongue.
Unlike the prolonged heat of chili peppers, the spiciness of wasabi is short-lived.
8. Bloody Mary Isn’t the Only Drink that Contains Hot Sauce
Some cocktails or shooters featuring hot sauce or peppers include Jalapeno Sunset, Scorpion Sting, Smoky Passion and many others.
Hot sauces are actually a quite common addition to cocktails, especially in recent years. You can find our signature recipes for hot cocktails here.
9. Since Ancient Times, Chili Peppers Have Been Believed to Ward Off Evil
During ancient Roman times, it was believed that the phallus (or erect penis) symbol warded off evil and brought fertility and luck to those who wore it.
As the Catholic Church gained influence, the phallus symbol purportedly evolved into the chili pepper since it was deemed inappropriate to wear a penis around one’s neck. In Italy, there’s the Cornicello, a talisman shaped like a horn that strongly resembles a chili pepper and is said to bring luck.
10. After Fermentation, Peppers Can Be Preserved for Years and Years
Fermentation is a process used to preserve food before modern preservation methods such as pickling in vinegar, pasteurization, and the use of preservatives were invented.
During the fermentation process of peppers, lactic acid bacteria create a sour environment, preventing other harmful bacteria from spoiling the ferment. If peppers are stored after fermentation in an anaerobic environment, they can remain in that state for years without any spoilage occurring. For more on fermentation, check out our article on What Fermentation is.
Feasted on facts? Now, dare to bite into something spicy
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