Chili - Chile - Chilli - Peppers - Different names for the same fruit

Chili facts and information. All about the chile pepper family, history, recipes and health benefits

Chillies have long been used as part of traditional remedies, probably first by the Aztecs and in Russia, there is a drink called Nastoyka which is made from chillies soaked in vodka.

• The raw chilis are more digestible than the stews and besides they favor the digestion upon stimulating the biliary and gastric juices
• Amongst the many good virtues of the chili pepper for the digestive system one must also mention its anti diarrhoea properties
• By their high content of water they turn out to be very adequate in slimming diets, especially when eaten raw, combined with tomato, lettuce, onion, etc.
• Creams exist that contain the capsaicin extracted from the chili pepper, and is used for treating back conditions and muscle rubbing. It is also used for treating skin conditions like the psoriasis, the herpes, etc.

Researchers have noticed that people who consume large amounts of red chili peppers experience a lower incidence of thrombo-embolism, or potentially dangerous blood clots. When looking at the medical records of countries where hot spicy foods were regularly consumed, scientists found that people who eat a diet high in red peppers experience a much lower incidence of blood clotting diseases.

In the countries where diets are traditionally high in capsaicin, the cancer death rates for men and women are significantly lower than they are in countries with less chili pepper consumption (World Health Organization statistics). When capsaicin was administered to rats receiving carcinogenic agents, the incidence of certain tumors was decreased over controls. Capsaicin has been found to preferentially inhibit the growth of cancer cells in laboratory studies.
http://www.chili-willy.com/benefits/pepper%20benefits.html

Chili pepper is the plant that puts fire on your tongue...

...and maybe even a tear in your eye when you eat spicy Mexican, simmering Szechuan, smoldering Indian, or torrid Thai food. Chili peppers belong to the family of foods bearing the Latin name Capsicum. Red chili peppers, such as cayenne, have been shown to reduce blood cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and platelet aggregation, while increasing the body's ability to dissolve fibrin, a substance integral to the formation of blood clots. Cultures where hot pepper is used liberally have a much lower rate of heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism. Spicing your meals with chili peppers may also protect the fats in your blood from damage by free radicals—a first step in the development of atherosclerosis.
http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=29

The Chili Family - A short description of the most familiar types of chilies

Anaheim: Very mild. Six to eight inches in size and deep, shiny green. Often stuffed or added to salsas. - Cayenne: From four to twelve inches in length. Deep green, yellow, orange, or red. Long, skinny, and wrinkled in appearance. Hot in taste. - Jalapeno: Range from dark green to red. Use whenever recipe simply calls for hot chile peppers. They can be fresh or canned. - Poblano: Dark green, shiny and large in size. Mild to medium on the hotness scale. They can be fresh or canned. - Serrano: Fairly high on the hotness scale. Can be found canned, pickled, or packed in oil with vegetables. Often served in Thai or Mexican dishes.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/chilepep.htm

Chili Peppers and Sex: Eating chili peppers generates physiological responses in our bodies (e.g., sweating, increased heart rate and circulation) that are similar to those experienced when having sex. The capsaicin they contain is responsible for the effects and is also a good pain reliever. Another reported effect of eating large quantities of chili peppers is an irritation of the genitals and urinary tract that could feel similar to sexual excitement.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/aphrodisiac3.htm

Chiles or Peppers, fresh or dried? Frozen, canned, or powdered? Green or red?

"Chile" and "Pepper" are simply different names for the same fruit. Christopher Columbus began the 'pepper misnomer' when he discovered the plant and thought he had discovered the plant that produced black pepper. The name has persisted, though technically "chile" or a version of it is the more authentic version. Even "chile," though, has different spellings and meanings. Some spell it "chilli," some "chili," though "chile" is the most common. Generally, "chile" refers to the fruit, while "chili" refers to the stew-type dish containing meat, chiles, and beans.
http://www.cosmicchile.com/cgi-bin/cosmicchile/chile-peppers.html

Chile Pepper Salsa Recipes

By Michelle Gendvil - Fresh salsa is a great treat any time of the year and surprisingly easy to make. I've listed some of my favorite fresh chili pepper salsa recipes ranging from mild to extremely hot. The recipes include a wide variety of chili peppers including the well known jalapeno pepper which has a medium heat, the guero and anaheim which have a mild heat and the scotch bonnet and habenero which are extremely hot. You should wear gloves when handling hot chiles, the oil can burn your fingers. All the salsas should be refrigerated for at least a half an hour before serving to let the flavors blend.
http://www.happynews.com/living/cooking/fresh-chili-salsa.htm

Chilli facts and chilli history

Chillis, come in all shapes, sizes and colours ranging from tiny pointed extremely hot, birds eye chilli to the large mild fleshy peppers like the anaheim. Indigenous to Central and South America and the West Indies, they have been cultivated there for thousands of years before the Spanish conquest, which eventually introduced them to the rest of the world. Mexican cooking is one of the worlds oldest cuisines, the explorers of the New World brought back the tomatoes and peppers, red hot chillis, avocados, various beans, vanilla and chocolate, these flavours were to change the flavour of Europe. Today there are probably 400 different chillis grown, and are one of the most widely cultivated crops today, grown from the Far East, China, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia to India to Mexico.
http://www.chillisgalore.co.uk/pages/chilli_facts.html

Books about chiles

The Red Chile Bible Author: Kathleen Hansel, Audrey Jenkins The long-awaited companion to The Green Chile Bible, this vibrant collection of rich red chilli recipes celebrates the blending of historic Spanish, Indian, and western frontier traditions in southwestern cookery, and explores some of the best European and Asian contributions to the latest Southwest "fusion" style. The Red Chile Bible caters to the desires of every chilli cook -- from the passion for finding new ways to cook with chilli to the ambition to achieve the ultimate classic salsa. It covers the gamut of Southwest styles from the traditional to contemporary, from down-home rustic to unashamedly elegant, from comfortably mellow to fiery hot. Reflecting the modern cook´s commitment to natural flavours and healthy foods, The Red Chile Bible emphasises fresh ingredients and dishes "made from scratch" but the authors have also suggested shortcuts and substitute ingredients to save preparation time, without sacrificing quality or flavour. Providing important practical help for the novice chilli cook, the authors give complete information on the major southwestern and Mexican red chillies, along with tips on buying, storing, and handling fresh, dried, crushed, and powdered red chillies. A glossary and a list of sources are included.	Red or Green Author: Clyde Casey Red or Green gives you more than 200 recipes for traditional and modern dishes from New Mexico. And while this book specializes in chile cuisine, it features wonderful recipes of all kinds. You´ll find the exotic "Blue Cornmeal Pancakes" with Green Chile Chutney, Blackened Tomato-Mint Salsa, along with classics such as Beef Enchiladas and Green Chile Stew. Game and fish recipes include Cherokee Venison Meatloaf as well as Crayfish Quiche and Pecan Coated Catfish. Desserts vary from the more familiar Rum Apple Crisp and Piñon Nut Cookies to the unusual, and unusually delicious Chocolate Tortilla Dessert. In addition to the recipes, Casey discusses the various types of chile peppers, from the mild New Mexico 6 (formerly Anaheim) to the red-hot habanero. You´ll learn how to choose them, handle them, use them in cooking and order them by mail. Casey also introduces you to New Mexico´s wine, one of the state´s fastest growing products, and explores local wines and wineries. Finally, the book provides hints for high-altitude baking and a user-friendly index.	The Great Chile Book Author: Mark Miller, John Harrisson, Lois Ellen Frank Here are 140 chile-based recipes from restaurants of all types, from taco joints to the elegant Mansion on Turtle Creek, and inspired by cuisines from Thai to West Indian to Tex-Mex. Spicy food has gained many devotees, but the number of books on the subject is multiplying; for larger collections. Miller is chef/owner of Santa Fe´s Coyote Cafe and author of Coyote Cafe. His new book is an important resource for all those fans of chile dishes, for it is a fully illustrated guide to more than 90 fresh and dried chiles. Most recent spicy foods cookbooks include brief chile glossaries, but Miller´s descriptions and Frank´s full-color photographs should make identification easy for any cook confronted with the wide variety of chiles now available.	Salsas and Tacos Author: Susan D. Curtis This charmer of a cookbook is dedicated to the crowd-pleasing duo of salsa and tacos in all its spicy glory. Starting with a brief tutorial on chiles and other southwestern ingredients, the collection then offers 24 salsas, each a lesson in creativity. Jicama-Watermelon Salsa begs to be paired with fish or shrimp straight from the grill, while earthy Roasted Pepper Rajas work tasty miracles on a chicken sandwich. The author suggests using Bing Cherry-Pistachio Salsa to complement a holiday meal: a fine idea, but why stop there? Atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it becomes an unusual and invigorating dessert. The taco selection is brief but well edited; Hot and Smoky Shrimp Tacos are simple but fiery, and Baja-Style Fish Tacos with Chipotle Mayonnaise taste like they just arrived from Cabo San Lucas. Carne Asada is a bigger production: a sirloin steak marinated in garlic and chiles, served alongside various salsas and tortillas. It´s more involved than a simple taco, but its the perfect recipe to show off the complexity and spice of Santa Fe cuisine.

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