Saturday Beefcake: Tutorial

Having been turning up the heat today, we thought it opportune to place some emphasis on that which creates the heat.


Being bred in a culture where peppers, sweet and hot, are part and parcel of the cuisine, some honour is due to the mediterranean types. This comes from fiery-foods.com about the types in Calabria.



1 - Italian Cayenne variety, hot.
2 - Ciliegia (cherry), big, medium hot. Often used stuffed, then pickled or in olive oil.
3 - Ciliegia , small cherry, hot. Available as whole pods, in olive oil or dried.
4 - A popular hybrid, name unknown. Hot.
5 - Naso di Cane, mild and hot variety, offered dry, tied on a string (fila).
6 - Amando, hot to very hot.
7 - Sigaretta, very hot (similar to Thai), grows upright in clusters.
8 - Another popular hybrid, name unknown. Hot.
9 - Name unknown, hot, gowing upright in clusters, just like Sigaretta.
10 - Chiltepin-like variety with just 1/4" in diameter, very hot. Got this one served in olive oil at a restaurant.
11 - Peperone, dolce (sweet). Used fresh in salads, roasted and skinned for antipasti (appetizers) and pasta sauces, as well as dried.



The Western Hemisphere also presents us with other varieties that are quite useful in making one's culinary life quite enjoyable.