Chilli Peppers Capsicum by the Chili Monster Part 2

History - Varieties - Heat - Physiological effects - Scoville Scale - Nutritional Information - Health Benefits Part 1

History

• 7000 BC. New world Inhabitants snacked on small, extremely pungent chiltecpin ( or piquín) peppers.
• 5200 - 3400 BC. These hot peppers were cultivated by the Incas. The Incas also worshipped it as a holy plant.
• 1500 BC. Evidence of chili pepper use in Mexico.
• 500 BC. Mexican tribes traded bowls for crushing chilis.
• 500 AD. Mayas growing a variety of chili pepper in Southern Mexico.
• 1200 AD. A variety of hot peppers available at markets in and around Mexico City. The Aztecs gave them the name "Chili".
• 1493 AD. Chili peppers introduced to Spain by the physician attached to Columbus' 2nd Voyage.

Varieties

There are five species of peppers. Four produce only pungent fruit. The other group consists of bell peppers as well as pungent types such as pimento and wax chilies.

Capsicum annuum

This group includes bell peppers, hungarian wax peppers, jalepenos and tepins. The name alludes to the fact that these peppers are treated as annuals in the Northern Hemisphere. This group of peppers are thought to have originated from the northern regions of Latin America. They were first cultivated in Europe in Portugal and Spain.

Chili peppers of this type share the following botanical traits, namely:
Straw-coloured seeds
Solitary flower at each node
Petals are creamy white (occasionally purple) in colour.

Capsicum baccatum

The name suggests that the peppers are like berries. Chili peppers in this grouping are native to southern regions of Latin America. Examples of this type of pepper include the Lemon Drop and the Aji. Distinquishing botanical features of this variety of peppers include:
Cream-coloured petals
Straw-coloured seeds
White anthers that turn brownish-yellow with age

Capsicum chinense

This group of pepper inherited its name from its discoverer, Nikolaus von Jacquin. In 1776, the Dutch physician stumbled across this species in the Carribean, as he collected seeds for Emperor Francis I, and mistakenly assumed that it originated from China. Even today, this group of chili pepper is the least well understood.A native of South America and the Carribean, the fruit of this species of pepper is often very pungent and aromatic. Examples of this type of pepper include the habanero. Botanical characterisics of chinenses encompass:
2 or more flowers at each node
Straw-coloured seeds
Large, crinkled, egg-shaped leaves (pale to medium green in colour)
Milky-white petals
Pods that are shaped as flattened bells or as bonnets.

Capsicum frutescens

The name means 'shrubby' or 'bushy' and this type of pepper is believed to be an ancestor of the chinense variety. The tabasco pepper is the most notable member of this species of chili pepper. Botanical traits of the frutescens include:
Straw-coloured seeds
Solitary flower at each node
Soft pods

Capsicum pubescens

This group takes its name from the latin for "hairy". It is featured in the writings of Ruiz and Pavon in 1794. Believed to have been domesticated 6,000 years ago, there is no known wild form of this species of pepper and it is unable to cross-pollinate. The most common form of this variety of chili plant is the rocoto. Botanical features include:
Purple petals (often with white margin)
Single flower at each node
Firm pods
Dark seeds

Chili Pepper Heat

That chili peppers are hot (pungent) is down to the presence of a chemical called Capsaicin. Capsaicin is an odourless, colourless member of the alkaloid family of chemicals. Contrary to popular belief, Capsaicin is not contained in the seeds but rather under pressure within the walls of the piece of "skin" (the placenta) to which the seeds are attached. When the flesh of the pepper is cut, the placenta ruptures flooding the pod with Capsaicin in the process .

The Physiological Effects of Capsacaicin

The burning sensation we experience as Capsaicin comes into contact with the mouth stimulates the body to release a neurotransmitter called Substance P, which signals to the brain that we are in pain. Initially, the brain reacts by trying to douse this chemical fire by increased salivation, a runny nose, sweating and sometimes tears. Finally, the heart rate increases and the body releases endomorphins, natural opiates produced by the body, essentially producing a sense of well-being .

The Scoville Scale

The amount of Capsaicin present varies from pepper to pepper. In 1912, Wilbur Scoville, a US scientist employed by the Parke Davis pharmaceutical company, devised a scale to place chili peppers in order of pungency. In this highly subjective test, a chili of each variety was placed in a sugar solution and subsequently diluted until the heat could no longer be detected when drunk by a volunteer . The number of dilutions required was assigned an number; the actually pungency of a pepper is measured as multiples of 100 units, where the bell pepper scores a Scoville rating of zero whilst Habanero weighs in at 300,000 Scoville Heat Units (i.e. requires diluting 300,000 times before no further burning sensation is experienced). Incidentally, pure Capsaicin is worth over 15,000,000 Scoville Units! Nowadays, the Scoville measurement is determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography.

Nutritional Information

Chili peppers are low in sodium, cholesterol free, rich in vitamins A and C, plus a good source of potassium, folic acid and vitamin E. Weight for weight, fresh green chili peppers contain more vitamin C than citrus fruits; fresh red chilies more vitamin A than carrots .

Health Benefits

Gone are the days when the chili pepper was blamed for conditions such as piles and stomach ulcers. Instead, research is now focused on the possible health benefits of eating chilis. Here's just a few:

• Since the 1980s, scientifically recognised medical applications involving chili peppers have been used to treat ailments including arthritis , blood clots and chronic pain management

• In an study conducted by researchers at the Oxford Polytechnic Institute into the thermic effect of food found that the consumption of chili peppers slightly raised the metabolism in addition to the temporary rise normally experienced following a meal.

• Regulates blood sugar levels in Diabetics

• Relieves the symptoms of psoriasis