Jalapenos - Jalapenos the most popular chile pepper.

Common Name and Species

Jalapenos (jalapeño) are named after Jalapa in Veracruz. Jalapeno peppers are cultivars in the species Capsicum annuum.

Origin and History

While jalapenos are now grown world-wide in both the tropics and temperate zones, initial cultivation may have been Peru - but jalapenos have been present in Central America for thousands of years. In fact jalapenos are named after Xalapa (now Jalapa) in the Caribbean (Gulf of Mexico) coastal state of Veracruz, Mexico.

Description

Jalapeno peppers, at 10,000 SHU, are one of the hotter fresh peppers in the species Capsicum annum (only serranos and chile de arbol are consistently hotter at 20,000 and 30,000 SHU respectively). Fresh jalapenos are frequently consumed green - fresh or roasted and pickled. Ripe (red) jalapenos are smoked to make chipotle and morita (not as cured as the true chipotle). Green jalapenos that are smoked while still green are called: jalapeno chico. Jalapenos are rarely simply dried like most chile peppers - their flesh is too thick and jalapenos tend to rot instead, as many of us know to our sorrow.

Commercial cultivation - Zones and Regions

Jalapenos are grown commercially throughout Central America and the American Southwest.

How Used or Sample Recipe

Roasting and pickling jalapenos:
• two pounds or more of fresh green jalapenos
• one quart or more of cane vinegar
• brown paper bags
• wide mouth quart mason jars
• wooden skewers soaked in water for at least 15 minutes ahead of time

You now have several choices:
• a barbecue grill fired up with mesquite and oak in any proportion
• a gas barbecue grill
• an electric range

Depending on your skill and what you're grilling on -
• place one or more jalapenos on one or more of the skewers
• bring skewer(s) with jalapeno(s) to the heat
• turn skewers slowly until the jalapenos have blistered over at least 80% of their surface
• pull jalapenos off and place in the brown paper bag.
• leave jalapenos there for at least ten minutes
• remove jalapenos from bag, and under running cold water, rub off the outer tough skin
• fill the mason jars(s) with jalapenos and cover with the cane vinegar
• allow pickling jalapenos to age for several weeks before consuming
• refrigerate after opening

Additional Resources

For additional information
• about Jalapenos including medicinal uses and a list of reference materials
• about chile peppers in the kitchen
• Check it all out in Chile Pepper Magazine.