What is a chili pepper?

Chili peppers are the fruit of the capsicum variety of plaants, which in turn belong to the nightshade family of plants. Strangely, chili peppers are thought of as both a vegetable and a spice, a claim to fame that not many other fruits can claim. Although the leaves are used in some forms of asian cooking (e.g. in Korea) it is mainly the fruits of the chili pepper plants that are used to flavour and add spice to foods.

Chili pepper fruits are most famouns for the heat they produce when eaten or even when they come in to conatct with skin. There are hundreds if not thousands of different varieties which range in heat from the simple, sweet bell pepper to the firey hot hananero.

Check the deeds every day. After a few days (maybe less) you may notice the seeds start to swell or even begin to sprout. As soon as you see this it is time to transfer them to a propogator or seed tray. If you have neither of these don't worry anything will do really; old yogurt pots, ice cream containers anything that will hold compost! Simply find a suitable container and plant the seeds about 1/2 a cm deep in fine compost.

What gives a chili pepper it's heat?

Well it is actually not the seeds as many people think but infact the seed membrane that holds the seeds to the flesh of the chili pepper. The chemical responsible is known as capsaicin. One great way to combat the chili burn is to consume dairy products such a glass of milk or spoonfull of yogurt.

Chili peppers have been undergoing somewhat of a renaissance in recent years. With globalisation the spread of oriental, asian and other cooking styles throughout the western world has increased dramatically. This has had the effect of popularising the chili pepper for cooking purpses. Off the back of this more and more people are now learning to grow chili peppers and also decorate their houses and kitchens with them!