All sorts of interesting data, fun facts and information about chiles.
| The heat from a chile pepper is concentrated in the interior veins or ribs near the seed heart, not in the seeds as is commonly believed. |
| Chiles can make foods safer - they are known to reduce harmful bacteria on foods. |
| More than 140 varieties of chile peppers are grown in Mexico alone. |
| 1 out of every 4 people on the planet eats chiles every day. |
Do not drink water to ease the burning sensation- capsaicin which is an oil, will not mix with water but instead, will distribute to more parts of the mouth. |
| Chile peppers contain more vitamin A than carrots (especially red chiles). In fact, one teaspoon of hot sauce may provide 100% RDA for Vitamin A. |
Chilies help you lose weight by increasing your metabolism. |
| Ounce for ounce, green chile has more vitamin C than citrus fruits. |
Chiles are the second most common spice in the world, following salt. |
The Mayans rubbed hot peppers on their gums to stop toothaches. |
In general, the smaller the pepper, the hotter it will be. All the world's most potent peppers are less than three inches long. |
Chilies are fruits not vegetables. |
| Chile pepper was domesticated about 6,100 years ago, making it perhaps the oldest condiment in the history of cooking. |
Capsaicin, the chemical in chile peppers that generate spiciness, is also the active ingredient in pepper spray. |
| To date, the hottest chile pepper in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records is the "Bhut Jolokia"a chili pepper that grows in northeastern India. It measures an amazing 1,001,304 Scoville Units. |
The best way to ease the burning sensation is to drink milk, or eat yogurt or any other dairy product. A substance found in dairy products known as casein, helps to disrupt the reaction. |
There is a correlation between eating hot chiles over long periods of time and building a sort of 'resistance' to the heat. |
On his first voyage to the Western hemisphere Christopher Columbus mistakenly called the fiery chile pepper pod “pepper” because of its heat thinking it was a relative of black pepper. |
Chile peppers are relatives of tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants, all belonging to the nightshade family. |
