Vitamins and Nutrients: Cayenne is high in natural vitamins; especially vitamin C and many of B vitamins, and beta carotene Contains zinc, calcium, iron and potassium.
Background: Cayenne has a long and rich history. In the Americans it has been used in food for at least 9,000 years. Even with its hot, spicy flavor, primarily due to capsaicin.
The popularity of cayenne pepper has spread throughout the world. It is a very important spice particularly in Southwestern, Mexican, Cajun and Creole cooking, and in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, China, Southern Italy, and Mexico.
Chile pungency was previously expressed in Scoville Heat Units (Scoville 1912). The Scoville Organoleptic Test was the first reliable measurement of the pungency of chiles. The test employed a panel of five human representatives, who tasted a chile sample and recorded the heat level. The sample was diluted until pungency could no longer be detected. The organoleptic method or taste test has been the standard method for pungency analysis. Although this method is still widely used, it has limitations. Tasters must be trained and their ability to test many samples is restricted by the heat of the test solution. Taster fatigue is a real phenomenon and tasters are also not able to distinguish between the different capsaicinoids. Therefore, the Scoville Organoleptic Test has been replaced with instrumental methods, most commonly the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) which provides accurate and efficient analysis of content and type of capsaicinoids present in a chili sample
Description: These tender annuals or perennials originated in the Americas. They have straight woody stems and single star-shaped white flowers in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are followed by juiceless berries or pods, which vary in shape and size. They are green at first and change to red, yellow or purple. They contain many flat, kidney-shaped, white seeds, which are very hot tasting.
The genus Capsicum is a member of the family that includes tomato, potato, tobacco, and petunia. The genus Capsicum consists of approximately 22 wild species and five domesticated species Capsicum is endemic to the western hemisphere and the pre-Columbian distribution extended from the southernmost border of the United States to the temperate zone of southern South America. It is a perennial small shrub in suitable climatic conditions living for a decade or more in tropical South and Central America. Capsicum probably evolved from an ancestral form of the Lake Titicaca region. Chile fruits are considered vegetables, but are berries botanically. Chile types usually are classified by fruit characteristics: pungency, color, shape, flavor, size, and by use.
In tropical countries it is a perennial and will form a shrub as high as 8 feet, but when it is grown in gardens it is treated as an annual and is raised from seeds every year. This is true of the kinds that are grown as potted plants as well as those grown in the garden. There are many varieties of garden Peppers. They are divided into two groups; the Sweet peppers or mild-flavored varieties, which are used for stuffing, salads and garnishing and the hot Peppers, which are mainly used in sauces and flavoring. The Spanish word "Chili" describes Peppers of all kinds. Despite their vast trait differences most chile cultivars commercially cultivated in the world belong to the species, C. annuum. The tabasco (C. frutescens) and habanero (C. chinense), are the best-known exceptions.
Safety: There is no known negative safety information available for this herb. Cayenne should not be used by children under age two years. As with all members of the capsicum family, mucous membrane and skin irritation is a consideration and caution is to be exerted when handling the material.
