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How Chilli heat is measured

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What is Capsaicin?

Wilber Scoville

Many Chilli fans will have heard of the Scoville rating system. This system measures the pungency of Chillies in terms of what is known as Scoville heat units. The higher the number of Scoville units (SHU) a Chilli is rated at, the hotter it is. For example, Bell peppers are rated zero SHU, and the Carolina Reaper (officially the world’s hottest Chilli) is between 1500000 and 2150000 SHU.

The Scoville rating system came into existence when Wilbur Scoville, an American pharmacist, developed a method of measuring the heat levels of individual varieties of Chilli in 1912.

Image: Wilber Scoville
Wilber Scoville

The original system involved capsaicin being extracted from dried hot Chillies with alcohol. This was then diluted in sugared water. A panel of five trained men would taste progressively decreased dilutions of the extract until at least three could not detect the presence of capsaicin. Each dilution was measured as 100 SHU. The number of dilutions multiplied by 100 determined the Scoville heat rating of the variety being tested.

Today, testing for capsaicin levels has become far more precise with the use of high-performance liquid chromatography. The results achieved with this method are more reliable because they are not dependent on a subjective perception of heat, but rather on the scientific analysis of capsaicin

Most Scoville rating charts will provide a range of heat units for a Chilli variety. This is because not all Chillies are the same.  Individual pods may contain more or less capsaicin, even though they are of the same variety (and for that matter even from the same plant) . For this reason, more than one pod is tested. Pods are selected from various plants grown together in a single season .  The lowest and highest test results are then provided as the heat range of the particular variety. The middle of the range is the average SHU of the specific variety.

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Star performing Chillies of 2021

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Where it all started

I began this growing season indoors in heated propagators and under grow- lights   at the beginning of March. I started seeds in the first week of the month, and followed that up with planting more seeds a couple of weeks later. I started Longhorn F1s, Ciliegia Piccante (Satan’s Kisses), Thai Demons, Barak Chillies, Orange Habaneros, and African Devils.

I also had some overwintered plants from the 2020 season. These were a couple of yellow Scotch Bonnets, Bolivian Rainbows, a White wax and a Trinidad Scorpion  Butch T. A few weeks later, I started seeds for Chi Chiens, Purple Tigers,  more Scotch bonnets, Habaneros and Prairie Fire Chillies. I didn’t know it at the time, but somehow I managed to plant Apache F1 Chilllies as well.

It has been a strange season. There has not been much sunshine. The result is that my Chillies have not done as well as I might have hoped.   They seemed to take forever to grow. However, with some perseverance and deviating from what I usually do (including changing fertilization and ripening methods), I managed to get some normality back in the season. Well, kind of anyway!

I had quite good germination rates and currently have plants for most of the seeds I started.  Right now, many of these plants have fruited. In most instances, the fruit is now ripening. Particularly on the plants I brought indoors early in the season.  Some plants, however, have only just managed to flower. Some haven’t even managed to do that. It’s all a bit of a mystery why this happened.

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Harvesting Chillies

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Picking ripe Chillies

The best way to harvest

The season is almost over. We are now at the point where we can start harvesting ripe Chillies. All the time and effort that has gone into growing the Chillies will be rewarded with, hopefully, an excellent crop. Now we just have to make sure that we harvest them properly.

The best way to harvest Chillies is not by using a pair of scissors or the like. It is far better to snap the Chillies off at the base of their calyxes with your fingers. Simply hold the base of the calyx between two fingers and pull the Chilli away from it using your thumb and index finger on the other hand. Snipping

Chillies off at the stem instead of using instead of snapping them off can pose a risk to the plant. By snipping the Chilli plant on its stem with scissors, you are creating an “open wound” on it. There is a possibility that the stem will then d ie back and let disease into the plant.  This is something that we want to avoid as best we can.

The method above is best if you want to use the Chillies immediately. Another method of harvesting Chillies is well described in this video.  With this method, Chillies are snapped off with their stems intact at the node. Snapping Chillies off in this way is an excellent way of harvesting when you don’t want to use the Chillies right away. It does however, it still poses a risk to the plant. There is still a possibility that disease can enter the plant at the point where the stem is snapped off. The risk is, however, far less than using a pair of scissors or a knife.

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Chilli varieties in China

 

Lajiao

The generic term for Chillies in China is ” lajiao”. The term is used when not referring to a specific cultivar or variety. It is a generic word for Chillies.  Most Chinese cooks however, have their own favourites. They certainly wouldn’t refer to Chillies just using this reference. They would be far more specific.

When it comes to how many Chinese Chillies there actually are, the definitive answer is hard to find. It seems that many cultivars have been developed to cater for specific local tastes. Special selection and breeding have shaped, sizes, colours, and pungency levels to meet local needs.

These Chillies are often named after local names that describe the Chillies shape. Examples of these names include the Chicken toe Chilli, Cow-horn pepper, Cherry pepper, and Chicken Heart Pepper.

China is a huge country with over a billion citizens.  The variety of cultivars that are produced to meet the needs of so many people must surely run into the thousands.

The most used Chillies

A list of Chinese Chillies

With so much diversity, this list can only cover the more well-known Chillies in China.  Besides the popular Zidantou (bullet Chillies) and Qixingjiao (Sichuan seven-star Chilli , the following Chillies are the most widely used and known in China.

Erjingtiao Chilli

This Chilli is the most popular Chilli in Sichuan cooking.  It is used to make Chilli bean paste (Doubanjiang), It is also widely used (among many other uses) to make Chilli oils, pickles and Chilli powders. Another popular way of eating Erjingtiao Chillies is as a fresh vegetable. It is served with salt and soya sauce.

The Erjingtiao Chilli has a distinctive J shape. It grows to between four and five inches long and is deep red when ripe. It is because of this distinctive red colour that it is often used to make Chilli oils.

Its flavour is said to be robust, fragrant and sweet with fruity raisin notes. It has a medium pungency of between 15000 and 20000 Scoville heat units.

In line with many other Chillies used in Sichuan cooking, the Erjingtiao Chilli is sun-dried. It is then dried further indoors before packaging.  Erjingtiao Chillis are widely used in a dried form along with Sichuan pepper to make stir-fries with rice, vegetables, meat, poultry and sea food.

Chaotianjiao

This Chilli is also known as the Facing heaven Chilli. It gets its name from the fact that the Chillies grow upwards. It is a cone-shaped Chilli that  is extensively used in Sichuan and Hunan cuisine.  It is quite pungent with  a Scoville rating of approximately 75000 SHU. The pods grow to between one and a half and three inches long . They can grow up to an inch in width. The pod narrows to the conical shape of the Chilli. When fully ripe, it has a deep red colour. Its flavour is said to be very aromatic, with citrus notes

Because of the attractiveness of this Chilli, it is often used whole in dishes. This is generally in its dry form. It is also used to make dishes like  Gong Bao Ji Ding  (spicy chicken with Cashews), Shui Zhu Niu Rou ( spicy boiled beef) and Ganbian Ji (deep-fried chicken). It is also used to make Chilli oil

Hainan Yellow Lantern Chilli

The Hainan Yellow Lantern Chilli is a plump, yellow Chilli that originated from the Hainan island in South China. It grows to about two inches long and to just over an inch wide.  It is thought to resemble a Habanero Chilli in terms of flavour, taste and pungency. It has a Scoville rating of 300000 SHU.

Hainan Yellow Lantern Chillies are mainly used for making hot sauces. These sauces are so popular that they even are a standard offering on  Hainan’s regional airline. The taste is said to be fruity with a tart aftertaste, once the burning sensation has set in.  Another use for this Chilli include adding pungency to seafood dishes.  Many restaurants on Hainan Island offer crab, tiger fish, prawns and squid dishes that have been prepared with Hainan Yellow Lanterns.

It falls under the Capsicum Chinense species. This is the same species as the Habenero and the Scotch bonnet. It is known to be related to these Chillies. It very probably was initially brought to Hanain island in maritime trade. From there, as with other Chillies brought to a new environment, it developed its own character. A Chinese favourite

Xiaomila (little rice Chilli)

Together with the Chaotianjiao ( The facing heaven Chilli) and the Erjingtiao (two vitex Chillies), these small Chillies are one of the most commonly used in Chinese cuisine. They are called “Little rice  Chilies “because of their relatively small size. The Xiaomila Chilli pods only grow to about an inch in length. They ripen to an orange coloured red.

Xiaomila Chillies are from the Yunnan province in China.  While they are commercially grown, they are the only Chilli that grows in the wild in China. They are from the Capsicum Frutscens species. Together with other Chillies like African devils, Malaguetas, Cabai Rawit, Siling labuyo, Xiaomila pepper and Tabascos, these Chillies grow on shrub like bushes. In warmer climates, they are perennials. Another characteristic they share with these other Chillies is that their fruit grows upwards.

Xiaomila Chillies are relatively spicy. They are used to make Sichuan dishes like Lazi Dry Pepper Chicken Wings, Lajiaoyou (Chilli oil), Mala Xiang Guo ( Stir-fried hotpot cooked twice), and Shangxin Ban Kongxincai (tragically hot water spinach salad).  The Chilli is also used in Chilli flakes and powders.

Finally

As mentioned, this list only covers some of the most well-known Chillies in China. Others include Chinese five colour Chillies, Yunnan wrinkled skin Chilli. Tien Tsin, Yunnan Shuan Shuan Chilli,   Chi Chien and Thai Bird Eye Chillies. There are many more

Image credits

umami / CC BY NC 2.0 / via Flickr

Alan Levine  / CC BY 2.0 / via Flickr

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The use of Chillies in China

 

Getting Chilli Identification right

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Getting Chilli Identification right

Mistaken Identity

It seems when I identified the unknown Chilli that I overwintered, I came close. I am, however, definitely not getting a cigar. I had the Chilli as an Aji Limone (Lemon drop). However, when a pod turned red, it became apparent that this identification couldn’t be correct.  Lemon drops don’t turn red. They stay a bright yellow colour.

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Starting seeds early. The pros & cons

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Why start seeds early?

When to sow Chilli seeds

Most seeds packets for Chillies recommend sowing them between January and March. Some even recommend sowing as late as April.  I tend to agree with the January start, but unless you plant fast-growing varieties like Bell peppers, Jalapenos, Fushimi, Shishito or Hatch Chillies, starting in April, might be too late.

While most of the Chillies mentioned above will produce a crop in 60 to 75 days, if seeds for superhots are started, one could expect them to take far longer. Some superhots, dependent on the weather, take more than one hundred and twenty days from potting-on to set fruit. Then, it takes even longer for the fruit to ripen.

Take this season, for example. I started a month later than usual, and suffered the consequences. I struggled to get my fruit ripe this year. While many have finally ripened, I still have plants that haven’t even fruited. They have flowered, but are yet to produce Chillies. That’s no good, as the Chilli growing season has already ended for this year.

To ensure this doesn’t happen again, I have already started some of my seeds for next year. The seeds were planted about three weeks ago. Some seedlings are already about two inches tall, but for the most part, are only about an inch in height. They are mostly superhot varieties and will take a long time to grow. I expect they will only be between eight and twelve inches tall come spring next year.  I certainly won’t hurry to repot them too soon after their first potting-on. This should  constrain their growth. I am also working on the premise that plants grow more slowly in winter.

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Saving seeds

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Saving seeds for next year

 

Which Chillies are ready?

At this time in a normal Chilli growing season, most Chillies should have ripened. Unfortunately, in my case, this hasn’t happened this year. Many  haven’t matured yet.  I have had to move my plants either indoors, or into heated enclosures. It is the only way I have of

prolonging the season. Not doing so would mean the plants would die after the first frost, which is predicted to be around mid-November in our area.

Not all is lost though. I do, at least, have some Chillies that have started ripening. These were plants I brought indoors about a month ago. I placed them under grow lights, because I was concerned they wouldn’t ripen in time. This was a good move, as all the Chillies I placed under lights have done well. They are all ripening nicely.

My Apache F1 Chillies, in particular, have ripened well. They are a bright red colour and fully mature.  For seeds to be successfully saved, Chillies must be fully mature. So to start with, I will use some of these Chillies to start my seed saving for the year. Read more