Mornings, noon, and nights are invariably chile when it comes to New Mexico, my new favorite destination as of last week.
Yes, I can be fickle when it comes to travel. I offer no excuses, but instead offer 7 Absolutely Hot Chile Facts to Savor along with your meal next time Mexican fare is on the menu.
Yes, I can be fickle when it comes to travel. I offer no excuses, but instead offer 7 Absolutely Hot Chile Facts to Savor along with your meal next time Mexican fare is on the menu.
Botanically speaking, New Mexico’s ‘State Vegetable’ is really a fruit!
It’s the old fruit versus vegetable debate, botanists versus chefs, sweet versus savory. Seems a seed-bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant is a fruit, whereas vegetables are all other plant parts. Thus, seed outgrowths such as apples, squash, tomatoes, and yes, chile peppers, are considered a fruit. Most of us don’t really need a chef to remind us the savory side of this fruit equates to vegetable status. Let’s call it a frugable!
It’s the old fruit versus vegetable debate, botanists versus chefs, sweet versus savory. Seems a seed-bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant is a fruit, whereas vegetables are all other plant parts. Thus, seed outgrowths such as apples, squash, tomatoes, and yes, chile peppers, are considered a fruit. Most of us don’t really need a chef to remind us the savory side of this fruit equates to vegetable status. Let’s call it a frugable!
The GREEN chile was dipped in bread crumbs and fried before showing up on my gastronomic burger!
According to psychologist Paul Rozin, eating chile is an example of a “constrained risk”, like riding a roller coaster. We enjoy the pain and fear of these extreme sensations because they come without risk of bodily harm (really?). That rationale didn’t seem to work with my digestive track the last time I went for red versus green chile.
Red or Green? As famous in these parts as Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be?’ was to Shakespeare, New Mexico’s State Question as of 1999 is one that divides the men from the boys, the meek from the mighty, the locals from those of us ready for culinary adventure. I say bring it on!
Red is obviously the HOT stuff, mature chile pods (the green are harvested before maturity to reduce the “heat” of the pepper) often seen tied together (ristras) and hung out to dry (literally), then crushed into powder to return to the table as hot sauce. Gee, that’s a familiar story I’ve witnessed over the years courtesy of a handful of strong women (fictional or otherwise) whom I’ve come to admire. But I digress. Having both red and green in your favorite dish is sometimes referred to as Christmas style.
Red is obviously the HOT stuff, mature chile pods (the green are harvested before maturity to reduce the “heat” of the pepper) often seen tied together (ristras) and hung out to dry (literally), then crushed into powder to return to the table as hot sauce. Gee, that’s a familiar story I’ve witnessed over the years courtesy of a handful of strong women (fictional or otherwise) whom I’ve come to admire. But I digress. Having both red and green in your favorite dish is sometimes referred to as Christmas style.
Here's my hot guy, sizzling with healthy vibes!
Whether red or green, chile peppers are a hot item when it comes to your health. Chile contain large amounts of Vitamin C (1 fresh medium-sized chile pepper has the same amount of Vitamin C as 6 oranges) and small amounts of carotene (Vitamin A). They’re also a good source of most B Vitamins, in particular B6. And if that’s not enough, chile peppers are high in potassium, magnesium, and iron. Forget the One-A-Day. Just pop a pepper and watch your health (and mouth) sizzle.
Chile is not native to New Mexico, or the southwest for that matter. Chile peppers originated in the lowlands of Brazil as small red, round, “berry-like” fruits and has been used by man for culinary and medicinal purposes for at least 8,000 years according to Linda Perry, an archaeobotanist at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Scientists believe that initially, birds were responsible for the spread of wild chile peppers beyond Brazil. Christopher Columbus took the pepper plant back to Spain after the “West Indies” natives (Columbus actually goofed a bit on his location in calling North America the West Indies) introduced him to the plant.
Some scientists believe that Onate brought chile peppers to New Mexico during his expedition of the Camino Real; others believe the chile arrived in New Mexico through trade between the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest and the Toltec Indians of Mexico.
Either way, when horticulturist Dr. Fabian Garcia came into the picture in 1907, the goal was to cultivate a smoother, meatier, tastier, and milder pepper that would resist the wilting disease that plagued the unrefined breeds of the last 400 years. Ten years of trial and error produced the prized Rio Grande pepper, named for the river that supplied its irrigation. One hundred-plus years later, the University of New Mexico’s Chile Pepper Institute has picked up where Dr. Garcia left off.
Capsaicin, the chemical in chile that puts the hoot in your holler, is actually good for you. Aside from boosting your metabolism (the capsaicin is a vasodilator, meaning it causes blood vessels to dialate), raising endorphin levels, improving mood, and reducing insulin levels, capsaicin is being researched for its preventive effects on cancer. It’s already used as a topical analgesic agent for arthritis, shingles, nerve damage, and even migraines. Botanists are still testing the theory that capsaicin in chile plants may be an adaptation to fight fungus, the single biggest threat to chile plants.
Some scientists believe that Onate brought chile peppers to New Mexico during his expedition of the Camino Real; others believe the chile arrived in New Mexico through trade between the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest and the Toltec Indians of Mexico.
Either way, when horticulturist Dr. Fabian Garcia came into the picture in 1907, the goal was to cultivate a smoother, meatier, tastier, and milder pepper that would resist the wilting disease that plagued the unrefined breeds of the last 400 years. Ten years of trial and error produced the prized Rio Grande pepper, named for the river that supplied its irrigation. One hundred-plus years later, the University of New Mexico’s Chile Pepper Institute has picked up where Dr. Garcia left off.
Capsaicin, the chemical in chile that puts the hoot in your holler, is actually good for you. Aside from boosting your metabolism (the capsaicin is a vasodilator, meaning it causes blood vessels to dialate), raising endorphin levels, improving mood, and reducing insulin levels, capsaicin is being researched for its preventive effects on cancer. It’s already used as a topical analgesic agent for arthritis, shingles, nerve damage, and even migraines. Botanists are still testing the theory that capsaicin in chile plants may be an adaptation to fight fungus, the single biggest threat to chile plants.
Hot mommas, thanks to chile!
Oleoresin, the color extracted from very red chile pepper pods, is used in everything from lipstick to processed meats.
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