What do you know about peppers?
We use about 30 different varieties of peppers to create the nine AWE-SAUCE hot sauces. Have you ever wondered about the origins of peppers? There five domesticated pepper species are grown around the world.
Hot sauce is a condiment like ketchup, relish and mustard. Below are some interesting facts you may not know about peppers and hot sauce.
The species of pepper, which includes the Habanero variety is scientifically named Capsicum Chinense. This name is incorrect because the scientist that named the species thought peppers originated in China, thus the "Chinese" in the name.
Hot sauces are the fastest growing food in the condiment marketplace.
Though popular to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, the Habanero pepper is the only pepper cultivated there whose name doesn't have a Mayan origin. The name Habanero suggests Cuban origins because it relates to Havana.
Peppers are part of the poisonous Nightshade family of plants. It was generally thought that every part of the plant except the fruit is poisonous. However, there are some cultures that utilize the leaves in their cuisine.
In the US peppers are grown as annual plants. However, peppers are perennial plants that will grow year-round in a suitable climate.
Chile peppers have been used as a food ingredient for at least 8,000 years.
Chile peppers are native to the Americas and were spread around the world by European explorers.
Capsaicin, the chemical ingredient that gives Chile peppers their heat, is addictive. It releases a stream of chemicals into the bloodstream that excites the pleasure centers of the brain.
Capsicum species of peppers "Chile Peppers" are not related to black pepper Piper nigrum. They are related to eggplant, petunia, potato, tobacco, and tomatoes.
Some Chile pepper varieties can grow as tall as 30 feet high. However, the average height of a pepper plant is just under three feet tall.
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