Scotch bonnet - the other really hot pepper.

Common Name and Species

The name Scotch bonnet comes from a fancied resemblance of this chile pepper to a Scottish beret.  Scotch bonnet peppers are a cultivated variety of Capsicum chinense.

Scotch bonnet - The Scotch bonnet pepper is one of the hottest in the world. 

Origin and History

Capsicum chinense was first domesticated in Peru but is now almost entirely a Caribbean island and littoral cultivar. The Scotch bonnet pepper was first cultivated by the Arawak Indians over a thousand years ago on the Greater Antilles. Considering its prevalence in Jamaica, perhaps Jamaica was the origin of cultivation for the Scotch bonnet.

Description

Scotch bonnet is the other famous chile pepper in the species Capsicum chinense. Habanero seems to be somewhat better known. Scotch bonnet peppers are very similar to their slightly better known cousin. The major difference is the shape. The habanero has a pointed bottom while the Scotch bonnet is squat and gnarled. Both are around the same size at 1.5" in diameter. Like the habanero, Scotch bonnet peppers start off green and ripen to yellow, orange and red but with red the most prevalent.

Commercial cultivation - Zones and Regions

The major area of cultivation for the Scotch bonnet are the Caribbean Islands. In Jamaica Scotch bonnet is the chile pepper of choice and is one of the three the principal ingredients in Jamaican jerk seasoning (the others are allspice and thyme).

How Used or Sample Recipe

First Jamaican jerk is a seasoning consisting of Scotch bonnet, allspice and thyme. Start with fresh whole spices (the Scotch bonnets should be dry rather than fresh) that you toast in a hot dry heavy skillet until they just start to give off a toasty aroma. The next step in the preparation of Jamaican jerk is to remove the stems from the Scotch bonnets (and optionally the seeds and placenta - ribs). The spices are then ground together in a spice blender (a clean coffee grinder or a regular blender) remembering not to inhale any of the Jamaican jerk dust.
The next step in the production of Jamaican jerk seasoning is to turn it into a paste. Add any .... [rest of recipe can be found here]

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