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. Some of the more commonly available fresh chillis include jalapeño, serrano, poblano, yellow wax, birds eye, habarnero and cayenne are now being stocked by many stores and markets. If you cannot find the required chilli called for in a recipe try substituting with one of similar size and heat scale, or grow your own as they are as easy to grow as tomatoes especially in a greenhouse in pots. In the next few pages different varieties can be seen accompanied by a picture with recipes, sauces, snacks and growing advice and also where to purchase the seeds or chillis.

Newspaper article 05/09/2000: The hottest chilli on Earth is Indian, claim four scientists. They say that the pepper called Naga Jolokia from the north-eastern area of Assam where it is grown has beaten the Mexican Red Savina Habanero, widely-acclaimed as the hottest. The scientists from the Tezpur laboratory reported 855,000 Scoville units of pure capsaicin (the scale of heat in chillis). The scale is named after German scientist Wilbur Scoville, who first measured heat in chillis see details below). Although the chilli is thought to be a relative of the habanero these tests are thought to be faulty.

Newspaper article 24/02/2001: The Hottest thing around, at last people are beginning to wake up to the fact how easy chillis are to grow, not only that but they are also fun and easy plants to care for as this article points out. Its about time the chilli gets recognised in the UK and a better name for itself, the Americans have been eating and enjoying all types of varieties for years. You can start picking green chillis as soon as they're big enough although if you let them ripen you will get their full fiery flavour. To lessen the heat remove the seeds and pith, one tip mentioned is to put surplus chilli seeds in with peanuts you put out for the birds as this should stop squirrels pinching them, the birds don't notice, but squirrels aren't into chillis just yet. There is also loads of other chilli dishes available apart from just chilli con carne using all the different varieties for different flavours and strengths from pickling to eating raw or stuffed or stewed to even chilli ice cream, which is highly spoken of by enthusiasts, it must be interesting to try.

The Times Newspaper article 01/04/2006: The world’s hottest chilli pepper does not come from a tropical hot spot where the local’s are impervious to it’s fiery heat but a smallholding in deepest Dorset, Uk. Some chilli’s are fierce enough to make your eyes water. Anyone foolhardy enough to eat a whole Dorset Naga would almost certainly require hospital treatment. The pepper, almost twice as hot as the previous record holder, was grown by Joy and Michael Michaud in a polytunnel at their market garden. The couple run a business called Peppers by Post and spent four years developing the Dorset Naga. They knew the 2cm-long specimens were hot because they had to wear gloves and remove the seeds outdoors when preparing them for drying, but had no idea they had grown a record breaker. Some customers complained the peppers were so fiery that even half a small one would make a curry too hot to eat. Others loved them and last year the Michauds sold a quarter of a million of them. At the end of the season they sent a sample to a Lab in America out of curiosity. They were stunned when the Dorset Naga gave a reading of nearly 900,000SHU. A fresh sample was then sent to a lab in New York used by the American Spice Trade Association and they recorded a record mouth numbing 923,000SHU’s. Mrs Michaud said ‘The man in the first lab was so excited he’d never had one half as hot as that. The second lab took a long time because they were checking it carefully as it was so outrageously high. The Dorset Naga was grown from a plant that originated in Bangladesh. The Michauds bought their original plant in an oriental store in Bournemouth, UK ‘we were’t even selecting the peppers for hotness but for shape and flavour when the test results came back we were gob smacked’
The couple are now seeking Plant Variety Protection DEFRA which will mean that no one else can sell the seeds.
Anyone wanting to try the chillis will have to be patient as they are harvested only from July on. In Bangladesh the chillis grow in temperatures of well over 100F (38C) but in Dorset they thrive in poly tunnels. Aktar Miha from the Indus Bangladesh restaurant in Bournemouth said that even in it’s home country it is treated with respect. ‘It is used in some cooking mainly in Fish curry’s but most people don’t cook with it . They hold it by the stalk and just touch their food with it ‘ he said. It has a refreshing smell and a very good taste but you don’t want to much of it. It is a killer chilli and you have to be careful and wash your hands and the cutting board. If you don’t know what you are doing it could blow your head off.