Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum
 
Chili peppers have been used for millennia by traditional American cultures for their many healthful benefits and as food. Capsicum annuum is native to northern South America and southern North America with a diverse range of fruits that vary in color, size, and spice level. To make our roasted red chili powder, red chilis are slow roasted and then finely ground for a savory flavor with some heat. It is delicious in chili recipes, seasoning rubs, and warming stews.
 
Our roasted red chili powder is typically between 1,000 – 3,000 HU and considered mildly pungent. The pungency of a chili pepper has historically been measured using the Scoville scale, which assigns heat units (SHU or HU) using a subjective assessment to determine the concentration of capsaicin in a pepper. Capsaicin is an active component of chili peppers, responsible for the warming and occasional burning sensations felt. Developed by American pharmacist, Wilbur Scoville, the Scoville scale remains the most common way of classifying the heat of a pepper, although modern, lab-based testing methods are now being used.
 
The burning sensation of hot peppers is a reaction of the central nervous system to capsaicin; unlike horseradish, wasabi, garlic, ginger, and mustard, capsaicin only causes the sensation of damage, not real damage to tissues.
 
Contraindications: No known precautions.
 
Sold by the ounce.