some like it
HOT From mild to spicy, North Carolina
has plenty of peppers
BY ELIZA SCHUETT
Here are some of THE I
Every year between July and November, farmers and home
gardeners in North Carolina harvest a wide variety of peppers.
From sweet bell peppers to the famed Carolina Reaper (the hottest
commercially available chili pepper in the world), these flavorful
local beauties add extra spice to any dish.
The spiciness of a pepper depends on the amount of a chemical
compound called capsaicin.
The Scoville scale measures
the amount of capsaicin in
Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
Can’t take the heat? No
need to get out of the kitchen!
Dairy contains a protein
called casein that deters the
effects of capsaicin. Try a
cold glass of milk or a dollop
of sour cream to cut the spice
when you’ve had a little too
much.
savor
I
BELL PEPPERS
(0 SHU) are sweet, colorful peppers used in every-thing
from Asian to Mexican cuisine. Add to a stir
fry with some onions or serve raw in a salad for some
extra crunch.
BANANA PEPPERS
(0-15,000 SHU) come in two varieties. The sweet
peppers are known as wax peppers, and the hotter
chilis are called Hungarian hot wax, with spiciness up
to 15,000 SHU. If you’re asking for banana peppers
on pizza or a sandwich, they’re probably wax peppers.
PEPPERONCINI
(100-500 SHU) look like banana peppers but have
slightly thicker skin and are usually pickled. Their
skin is typically a bit more yellow, and they will
always have some spice, while the mildest banana
peppers will have none.
JIMMY NARDELLO
This sweet red Italian
pepper was brought to
America from Ruoti,
Italy by the Nardello
family in 1887. They are
long, thin skin frying
peppers. They were
named for Giuseppe
and Angella Nardello’s
fourth son, Jimmy. They
dry easily, and have rich
flavor.
How Many
Units?
SCOVILLE
62 september 2022
WBM
ALLISON POTTER ALLISON POTTER