Fiery taste to spice up our meal and a distinctive aroma are the reasons why we love chillies. Chillies are proven to be very healthy and have numerous health benefits such as helping to fight obesity by burning fat, they are rich with various vitamins and antioxidants which are slowing down the ageing process of body cells and tissues and should be as such included in your regular diet.
Chilli pepper plants are from the genus Capsicum which are members of the family Solanaceae. Chilli peppers originated in South America. Chillies are being used for both food and traditional medicine. After the Columbian Exchange, many flavors of chilli pepper spread across the world. And as a fun fact, did you know that chillies were so quickly incorporated into the foods of Asia that back in the 18th century China was recognised as a place of chilli origin?
Capsaicin is the substances that give the chilli peppers their spicy heat. It is found in larger quantities mainly in the seeds and the internal membranes while to a lesser extent also in the other fleshy parts of a fruit. Capsaicin also improves blood pressure and relieves body pain.
Chilli pepper types
Learn more about the different types of chilli peppers. Here’s list of chilli peppers categorized by heat level:
- Carolina Reaper (2,2 – 1,8M SHU)
- Moruga Scorpion Red (2M – 1,5M SHU)
- Habanero (100k-350k SHU)
- Bolivian Rainbow (10k-30k SHU)
- Bishop’s Crown (10k SHU)
- …