Chiltepin pepper
Encyclopedia
Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum is a variety of Capsicum annuum
that is native to southern North America
and northern South America
. Common names include chiltepin, chiltepe, and chile tepin. This variety is the most likely progenitor of the domesticated C. annuum var. annuum.
that usually grows to a height of around 1 m (3.3 ft), but sometimes reaches 3 m (9.8 ft).
word meaning "flea
". Tepin peppers, "turkey" or "bird’s eye" or simply "bird" peppers (due to their consumption and spread by wild birds), are extremely hot, measuring between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Units
.
Some chile enthusiasts argue that the Tepin can potentially be hotter than the habanero or Red Savina
, supported with the numbers reported from Craig Dremann's Pepper Hotness Test scores. However, since this pepper is harvested from wild stands in the Mexican desert, the heat level of the fruit can vary greatly from year to year, depending on the amount of natural rainfall that occurs during the time that the fruits are forming. During drought years, fruits heat levels can be weak, and during normal rainfall years, the highest heat levels are produced.
In Mexico, the heat of the Chiltepin is called arrebatado ("rapid" or "violent"), because, while the heat is intense, it is not very enduring. This stands in contrast to the Chili Piquin
, which is the same size as the Chiltepin but is oval-shaped, and delivers a decidedly different experience.
The different drying methods used for the Tepin and Pequin, can help tell these pepper apart. Tepins are always sun-dried, whereas the Pequins are commonly dried over wood smoke, and the smell of the smoke in the Pequins can help separate the two varieties. Pequins are not as hot as Chiltepins (only about 30,000-50,000 Scoville Units), but they have a much slower and longer-lasting effect. In Thailand, where the Pequin was introduced and has become one of the national pepper varieties, is called "Prin-ke-nu", which translates to mean Rat-turd pepper.
, Arizona
, and Florida
in the Southern United States
, the Bahamas
, the Caribbean
, Mexico
, Central America
, and Colombia
. It prefers well-drained soils, such as silt
y or sand
y loam
s, and 800–2000 mm (31.5–78.7 in) of annual precipitation in Puerto Rico
. It may be found in areas with a broken forest canopy or disturbed areas
that lack tree cover if moisture and soil are favorable. Elsewhere, such as in Arizona, it may require the partial shading of a nurse plant
.
" in 1997, two years after the Jalapeño
became the official pepper of Texas.
and the United States Forest Service established the 2500 acre (1,011.7 ha) Wild Chile Botanical Area in the Coronado National Forest
. Located in the Rock Corral Canyon near Tumacacori, Arizona, the preserve protects a large C. a. var. glabriusculum population for study and as a genetic reserve.
Capsicum annuum
Capsicum annuum is a domesticated species of the plant genus Capsicum native to southern North America and northern South America. The three species C. annuum, C. frutescens and C. chinense all evolved from a single common ancestor located somewhere in the northwest Brazil - Colombia area...
that is native to southern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and northern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Common names include chiltepin, chiltepe, and chile tepin. This variety is the most likely progenitor of the domesticated C. annuum var. annuum.
Description
Chiltepin is a shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
that usually grows to a height of around 1 m (3.3 ft), but sometimes reaches 3 m (9.8 ft).
Fruit
The tiny chile peppers of C. a. var. glabriusculum are red to orange-red, usually slightly ellipsoidal, and about 0.8 cm (0.31496062992126 in) in diameter. Some strains of tepin peppers however are perfectly round (not the least bit oval) while fresh. If a tepin pepper is dried, it appears quite round even if it is the slightly ellipsoidal strain. Tepin is derived from a NahuatlNahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
word meaning "flea
Flea
Flea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...
". Tepin peppers, "turkey" or "bird’s eye" or simply "bird" peppers (due to their consumption and spread by wild birds), are extremely hot, measuring between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Units
Scoville scale
The Scoville scale is a measurement of the spicy heat of a chili pepper. The number of Scoville heat units indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Capsaicin is a chemical compound that stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes.The scale is named after...
.
Some chile enthusiasts argue that the Tepin can potentially be hotter than the habanero or Red Savina
Red Savina pepper
The Red Savina pepper is a cultivar of the habanero chili , which has been selectively bred to produce hotter, heavier, and larger fruit....
, supported with the numbers reported from Craig Dremann's Pepper Hotness Test scores. However, since this pepper is harvested from wild stands in the Mexican desert, the heat level of the fruit can vary greatly from year to year, depending on the amount of natural rainfall that occurs during the time that the fruits are forming. During drought years, fruits heat levels can be weak, and during normal rainfall years, the highest heat levels are produced.
In Mexico, the heat of the Chiltepin is called arrebatado ("rapid" or "violent"), because, while the heat is intense, it is not very enduring. This stands in contrast to the Chili Piquin
Pequin pepper
Pequin pepper is a hot chile pepper, also known as "bird pepper", that is commonly used as a spice....
, which is the same size as the Chiltepin but is oval-shaped, and delivers a decidedly different experience.
The different drying methods used for the Tepin and Pequin, can help tell these pepper apart. Tepins are always sun-dried, whereas the Pequins are commonly dried over wood smoke, and the smell of the smoke in the Pequins can help separate the two varieties. Pequins are not as hot as Chiltepins (only about 30,000-50,000 Scoville Units), but they have a much slower and longer-lasting effect. In Thailand, where the Pequin was introduced and has become one of the national pepper varieties, is called "Prin-ke-nu", which translates to mean Rat-turd pepper.
Habitat and range
C. a. var. glabriusculum can be found in TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. It prefers well-drained soils, such as silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
y or sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y loam
Loam
Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
s, and 800–2000 mm (31.5–78.7 in) of annual precipitation in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. It may be found in areas with a broken forest canopy or disturbed areas
Ruderal species
A ruderal species is a plant species that is first to colonize disturbed lands. The disturbance may be natural , or due to human influence – constructional , or agricultural .Ruderal species typically dominate the disturbed area...
that lack tree cover if moisture and soil are favorable. Elsewhere, such as in Arizona, it may require the partial shading of a nurse plant
Ecological facilitation
Facilitation describes species interactions that benefit at least one of the participants and cause harm to neither. Facilitations can be categorized as mutualisms, in which both species benefit, or commensalisms, in which one species benefits and the other is unaffected...
.
Symbolism
Chiltepin was named "the official native pepper of TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
" in 1997, two years after the Jalapeño
Jalapeño
The jalapeño is a medium-sized chili pepper that has a warm, burning sensation when eaten. A mature jalapeño fruit is 2–3½ inches long and is commonly picked and consumed while still green, but occasionally it is allowed to fully ripen and turn crimson red...
became the official pepper of Texas.
Conservation
In 1999, Native Seeds/SEARCHNative Seeds/SEARCH
Native Seeds/SEARCH, founded in 1983, is a nonprofit conservation organization located in Tucson, Arizona in the United States.In the words of its mission statement, it seeks "to conserve, distribute and document the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seed, their wild relatives and the...
and the United States Forest Service established the 2500 acre (1,011.7 ha) Wild Chile Botanical Area in the Coronado National Forest
Coronado National Forest
The Coronado National Forest includes an area of about 1.78 million acres spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico....
. Located in the Rock Corral Canyon near Tumacacori, Arizona, the preserve protects a large C. a. var. glabriusculum population for study and as a genetic reserve.
External links
- Tepin, in What Am I Eating? A Food Dictionary