Habaneros and Cinco de Mayo are a perfect steamy marriage of heat and feat; hot peppers and a celebration! feat
The habanero chile (Capsicum chinense) is considered one of the hottest peppers known to man. These little gems come to the US mostly through growers in Central and South America.
Habaneros mature into a variety of colors including red, orange, pink, white or chocolate. The typical size is 1” -2 ½” and 1”-2” in diameter. Habaneros score between 200,000 – 300,000 on the Scoville Units heat scale. These are insanely hot.
There are approximately 30 chiles per ounce.
Habaneros come fresh and whole, as dried flakes. dried whole peppers and powder.
Even Tabasco has a special sauce using these peppers. Definitely these peppers are in a class of their own.
Tips for handling hot peppers (from hot pepper tips and more from about.com .
- Work outside
- wear gloves
- no wood surfaces
- non-porous cutting board
- remove seeds and pulp
- Coat surfaces with soap or degreaser before using water to cut pepper oil
Cinco de Mayo may be over but you can enjoy the taste anytime! Remember to use these peppers sparingly. A little heat goes a long way!
