Chillies are good for us. Great news in the month of love is that eating chillies releases the same endorphins (hormones) as when enjoying pleasurable activities such as eating, exercise, and SEX.
Apart from all the love, February also happens to coincide with the height of the chilli season, and South Africans are no slouches when it comes to savouring the heat of the capsicum — enjoying liberal amounts of it fresh, dried, pickled and the all-time South African favourite, chilli sauce.
HOW HOT IS HOT?
The Scoville heat unit (SHU) scale is used to classify the strength of chilli peppers. It's named after US pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, who devised a method for rating the heat in chillies in 1912. His method? He put together a panel of tasters who diluted chilli extract with increasing amounts of sugar syrup until the heat became undetectable: the greater the dilution that rendered the sample’s heat undetectable, the higher the Scoville heat (the burn) rating.
Pure capsaicin, the compound responsible for the heat, measures 16-million on the Scoville scale. The Carolina Reaper is recorded as the world’s hottest chilli, coming in at 1.5-million to 2.2-million on the Scoville scale, so not the one to woo your Valentine.
WHERE’S THE HEAT?
It’s all in the capsaicin present at varying amounts and levels in every part of the pepper. The highest concentration is in the centre of the chilli — and not just the seeds as many believe, but in the tissue near the seeds. And by removing the seeds and tissue, the heat is lessened.
It is this fiery quality that arouses one’s senses. The capsaicin triggers the “burn”, which your brain responds to by releasing a natural painkiller: the feel-good hormones, endorphins and dopamine.
NOT ALL CHILLIES ARE THE SAME
Chillies may share the same family, capsicum, and just like humans, each is individualistic and has its own particular characteristics, including heat intensity and flavour. So, it’s best not to replace one variety of chilli for another in a recipe as the one called for may be the perfect heat for a particular dish.
RED OR GREEN — TAKE YOUR PICK
Red chillies may be prettier, but it's merely an indication of ripeness, because it has hung on the plant for longer and become sweeter, fruitier and, in some cases, a little softer. Green chilli peppers are crunchy and more bitter than the red ones. This rule applies to all peppers and chillies.
THE STING IN THE TAIL
As a spicy food lover, you know how there’s a nasty burn it leaves on the skin.
Some solutions:
The best solution is to wear gloves and, if that feels naff, the easiest solution is to wash your hands thoroughly with water and soap a couple of times to remove the capsicain from the skin.
Dairy products alleviate the burn, and it's best to soak your hands in milk or yoghurt. Remove and wash with soap and water.
Believe or not, booze, say gin or vodka, can also help if you wipe with a piece of cotton wool over the skin.
Oils, too, are effective in removing the burn of chilli. You can rub the oil over the affected area or you can oil your hands lightly before chopping chilli.
HELP IS AT HAND
To deal with the burn of ingested chilli, balance it with something acid — yes milk and yoghurt are great, but acids are too, like lemonade, orange juice, tomato-based drinks or fresh tomato.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILLIES IN SA
With more people growing chillies, the variety is constantly growing, with many imported chillies now propagated in the country.
Some of the more common chillies found on our shores:
BIRD'S EYE
Originated in South America and common in Asia, the peppers are very small and come in shades of green or red. Common in South Africa and great when used in Asian cooking.
100,000-225,000 SHU
HABANERO
Originally from Mexico, it comes in different colours. The original variety is orange, so don’t be fooled by the colour.
100,000-350,000 SHU
PERI-PERI (AFRICAN BIRD'S EYE OR PIRI-PIRI)
Very common in South Africa. it originates in Mozambique. It is a small chilli and used in the preparation of peri chicken dish. It provides a pleasant heat and is loved by South Africans.
50,000-175,000 SHU
RED CAYENNE PEPPER
Long and thin chillies and freely available, and great for bringing the heat to most dishes as the burn won’t leave you desperate for capsaicin antidote.
30,000-50,000 SHU
SERRANO
A plump, squat chilli that is green when unripe and turns a range of orange colours when ripe. Offering a milder heat, it is great for salsas and salads, deep fried in tempura or for using in pickling.
10,000-25,000 SHU
JALAPEÑO AND CHIPOTLE
Chipotle peppers are called jalapeños when dried, wrinkly and smoked and used abundantly in Mexican cooking. A milder pepper, also known as the jalapeño, which is fresh and crispy and as it ripens, unlike other chillies that sweeten, it becomes hotter.
Jalapeños — 1,000-20,000 SHU
Chipotles — 2,500-10,000 SHU
PIQUANTE PEPPERS (PEPPADEWS)
An original South African chilli discovered in Limpopo in the 1990s which has gained popularity here and around the world. Pickled, it looks like a cherry tomato, except it's spicy. Fairly mild, with a sweet aftertaste.
1,177 SHU
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