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 …

Storing Dried Pods

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Hello Dave,I just received a very large box of New Mexico dried red chili peppers as a gift. How can I store them long term, i.e., in what type of container (glass, plastic, box) and for how long? Thank you very much.Carl Hello Carl:Even dried pods are susceptible to mold and insect infestations. They probably are only partially dehydrated. If …

Force Ripening

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Dave:How can you force ripen green chile fruits?Greg Hello Greg:Generally speaking, you can’t. If picked when just turning color, they will ripen to red or whatever mature color. But if picked in the immature green stage, they will stay green.Dave

Heated-Up Seeds?

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Hello Dave:Where is the capsaicin located in the chile pod, in the flesh or the seeds?  Thanks,Edgar Hello Edgar:Neither.  It is located in the placental tissue in which the seeds are lodged. It disperses during processing and spreads over the flesh and seeds, giving illusion of the seeds being the location of capsaicin.Dave 

’Facing Heaven’ Chile Substitution

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Dear Dave,You recommend piquin chilies as a substitite for the Sichuan "facing-heaven" chilies that people who’ve read Fuchsia Dunlop’s excellent Sichuan cookbook Land of Plenty frequently seek.  However, based on her description of the "facing heaven" varietypopular in Sichuan Province, the piquin is not a good choice. She specifically says that authentic "facing heaven chilies" (chao tian jiao) are not …