macedonian salmon soup

The Joys of Cooking in a Crisis

Dave DeWitt Chiles and Health Leave a Comment

Story by Sharon Hudgins A century from now when historians look back at how we coped with the 2020 pandemic, two things will stand out: toilet paper and home cooking. During the past three months, many of us have “sheltered in place” at home, willingly or not. Early into the lockdown, bloggers began posting stories about how they planned to …

scottish cottage

Stir Crazy | Cooking to Cope with Cabin Fever

Dave DeWitt Chiles and Health Leave a Comment

By Sharon Hudgins Recently, as the Covid-19 pandemic has spread and we’ve been asked to follow strict “stay-at-home” directives, I’ve been thinking about other times in my life when I’ve been isolated in a house or apartment building with other people, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes unwillingly but of necessity. And I remembered how cooking and sharing meals together was one of …

A Chile Pepper Museum in Europe’s Headquarters of Heat

Dave DeWitt Chile History, Chile Pepper Museum, Chilehead Stuff, Europe, Food Travel Leave a Comment

Story and Photos by Harald Zoschke Calabria is not only the southernmost tip of the Italian boot, it is also one of the hotbeds of European chile pepper culture. So it’s no wonder that — besides plenty of traditional “hot” dishes and products — a highly popular chile pepper festival and even a museum dedicated solely to the hot pods …

Chile Pepper Nomenclature

Dave DeWitt Chile History, Chile Nomeclature Leave a Comment

By Dave DeWitt A great deal of discussion and controversy has erupted over the terminology of the Capsicum genus in English. There are hundreds if not thousands of common terms for the pods in languages from all over the world, so it is curious that the following ones have been debated with such passion. Ají. This word, from the Arawaks …

Watch Your Back, Hatch—Pueblo Chiles Are Making a Move

Dave DeWitt Chile History, Chile Varieties, Historical Gardening Leave a Comment

By Dave DeWitt They’ve got their own Growers’ Association. They have a festival of their own: The Chile & Frijoles Festival. They have their own supermarkets: Colorado Whole Foods Market locations dumped Hatch chiles and replaced them with Pueblo chiles. And governor John Hickenlooper has even designated the last Saturday of the Colorado State Fair as Pueblo Chile Day. History …