Let’s first discuss spelling and names. While there is not yet a standard for spelling, it is evolving as follows: “chili” refers to the popular prepared dish of beef (“con carne”) or beans, tomatoes, and chili powder. In the U.S., the actual pepper is called either a “chili pepper” or “chile”. Outside of the U.S., the world tends to use “chilli”. Nomenclature is also a problem when dealing with specific chiles. Not only do some chiles have two different names, but often the name of the chile changes when it is in the dried form. Pimento, for example, is called Paprika when it is dried. Other common changes are the poblano or mulato chile, which becomes the ancho or pasilla chile when dried. A smoked jalapeno is called chipotle, the Anaheim chile becomes a California chile, and serranos become japones.
Another word that is useful to remember when thinking of chiles is “capsaicin”. Chiles are hot due to the presence of capsaicin (a chemical compound), 80% of which is found in the veins and seeds. Freezing or heating doesn’t effect capsaicin or heat; the only way to reduce the heat of a pepper is to scrape away the seeds and ribs. Capsaicin attaches to hands, so when scraping a chile use either rubber gloves or wash your hands immediately afterwards. If you touch your eyes after scraping a chile, you will understand pain. Capsaicin is not water soluble, so swallowing water to cool your mouth after heating a hot chile is ineffective. The best thing to do is swallow milk or yogurt; sometimes eating bread will also help. Over time, you do develop a tolerance for capsaicin, which is why habitants of chile eating cultures can eat much hotter foods than others, and you should be careful ordering “hot” food in an authentic Indian or Thai restaurant.
