Chile Pepper Of The Week: Cayenne
The word "cayenne" seems to come from kian, the name of the pepper among the Tupi Indians of northeastern South America. The pod type probably originiated in what is now French Guiana and was named after either the Cayenne River of the capital of the county, Cayenne. It owes its spread around the world to Portugal, whose traders carried it to Eurpoe, Africa, India and Asia.
The Plant
The cayenne plant is tree-like, with multiple stems. It grows up to three feet tall and two feet wide. The pods are long and slender, measuring up to ten inches long and one inch wide. They are often wrinkled and irregular in shape. A mature plant can easily produce forty pods. The cayenne is very pungent, measuring between 30,000 and 50,000 Scoville Units.
Agriculture
Cayenne is grown commerically in New Mexico, Louisiana, Africa, India, Japan and Mexico. The pepper has a growing period of about ninety days from transplanting. New Mexico is leading the way in production of cayenne chilies for hot sauces. In 1995, more than 1,000 acres of cayenne were planted in New Mexico. Retail sales of cayenne pepper sauces topped $82 million in 1995.
Usage
Cayennes can be used fresh in the immature green form in salsas, but the most common use is to grind the dried red pods into powder.
Green Chile Co
Reader Comments (2)
freelance writer
How come you stopped your chile pepper of the week? Very educational. I would like to have permission from you to use this on my site www.newmexicochileproducts.com
Please let me know if this will be OK.
Thanks