Scotch bonnet (pepper)

Scotch Bonnet
Species Capsicum chinense
Cultivar 'Scotch Bonnet'
Heat Exceptionally hot
Scoville scale 100,000–400,000 SHU

Scotch bonnet, also known as scotty bons,[1] bonney peppers or Caribbean red peppers[2] is a variety of chili pepper. Also called 'Ata rodo' by Yoruba natives of Nigeria and "Kpakpo shitto" by natives of Accra,Ghana. Found mainly in the Caribbean islands, it is also in Guyana (where it is called the ball-of-fire pepper), the Maldives Islands (where it is called mirus), Panama (Where it is called "Aji Chombo") and West Africa.[3] It is named for its resemblance to a Tam o' Shanter hat.[4] Most Scotch bonnets have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 Scoville units.[5] For comparison, most jalapeño peppers have a heat rating of 2,500 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale. However there are completely sweet varieties of Scotch bonnet grown on some of the Caribbean islands, called cachucha peppers.

These peppers are used to flavour many different dishes and cuisines worldwide and are often used in hot sauces and condiments. The Scotch bonnet has a sweeter flavour and stouter shape, distinct from its habanero cousin with which it is often confused, and gives jerk dishes (pork/chicken) and other Caribbean dishes their unique flavour. Scotch bonnets are mostly used in West African, Antiguan, Kittitian, Anguilan, Dominican, St. Lucian and St Vincentian, Grenadian, Trinidadian, Jamaican, Barbadian, Guyanese, Surinamese, Haitian and Cayman cuisine and pepper sauces, though they often show up in other Caribbean recipes. It's also used in other countries like Costa Rica and Panama (Where it is called "Aji Chombo") for caribbean-styled recipes such as "Rice and Beans", "Rondon", "Saus", "Beef Patties" and also "Ceviches".

Fresh, ripe scotch bonnets change from green to colours ranging from yellow to scarlet red.

See also

References

  1. ↑ DeWitt, Dave (1996). Pepper Profile: Scotch Bonnet. Fiery-Foods.com.
  2. ↑ "Chile Peppers Recipes".
  3. ↑ "Mead Recipes: Scotch Bonnet Capsimel". This recipe uses very hot Scotch Bonnet chillies (which are ubiquitous in West Africa).
  4. ↑ Andrews, Jean (1998). The Pepper Lady's Pocket Pepper Primer. University of Texas Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-292-70483-1.
  5. ↑ "Chile Pepper Heat Scoville Scale". About.com: Home Cooking. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2008-08-21.

External link

Media related to Capsicum chinense at Wikimedia Commons

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