All Chili Pepper Articles: Growing, Cooking and Varieties

Biquinho Peppers (Capsicum chinense): Origin, Mild Heat, Growing and Cooking

by Roxie

Ripe red biquinho peppers on a living Capsicum chinense plant beside an enamel colander on a tiled patio

Grow biquinho peppers with practical advice on mild heat, containers, harvest, and safe ways to pickle these Brazilian chiles.

Ají Dulce (Capsicum chinense): Origin, Flavor, Growing and Cooking

by Roxie

Ripe red ají dulce peppers in a woven basket in a Caribbean kitchen

Learn how to identify, grow, store, and cook ají dulce, the fragrant mild Capsicum chinense pepper used in Caribbean sofrito and everyday dishes.

Pasilla Chilies (Chilaca, Capsicum annuum): Origin, Flavor, Growing and Cooking

by Roxie

Fruiting chilaca plant beside an enamel colander holding one freshly snipped green pod on a tiled patio

Learn how to identify, grow, dry, store, and cook with pasilla chilies, the dark dried form of the fresh chilaca pepper.

The History of Chili Peppers: From Ancient Mexico to Every Kitchen

by Roxie

Small ripe red chiltepin and ancestral chili pods spread across a hand-woven palm fiber mat drying under warm afternoon sunlight in Oaxaca

Explore the history of chili peppers, from American wild origins and Mexican C. annuum domestication to the early food traditions that shaped their global future.

How to Germinate Chili Pepper Seeds Successfully

by Roxie

Hands potting a young chili seedling from a cell tray into a matte terracotta pot

Learn how to germinate chili seeds reliably with proper heat, moisture, and soil depth. Compare the paper towel method to cell trays, plus species sprout times.

Thai Bird’s Eye Chili (Capsicum annuum): Origin, Heat, Growing and Cooking

by Roxie

A gloved hand with brass snips cuts a ripe red bird's eye chili from a leafy plant, with a wicker basket of small red upright pods in the foreground

Grow Thai bird’s eye chili with practical guidance on heat, harvest, drying, storage, and cooking, plus clear identification advice.

Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia, Capsicum chinense): Origin, Heat, Growing and Cooking

by Roxie

Bushy mature ghost pepper plant laden with ripe red Bhut Jolokia pods in an outdoor raised bed

Learn where ghost peppers come from, how hot Bhut Jolokia can be, and how to grow, handle, store, and cook with this super-hot chili.

Types of Chili Peppers: A Guide to Varieties, Heat and Flavor

by Roxie

Colorful harvest array of fresh chili peppers showing varied species, colors, and shapes

Explore popular types of chili peppers, from sweet and mild varieties to superhot pods. Learn botanical species, heat levels, and cooking uses.

What Makes Chili Peppers Hot? Genetics, Stress and Growing Conditions

by Roxie

A gloved hand uses a paring knife to indicate the pale placenta of a halved ripe red chili pepper on dark slate, showing where capsaicin is concentrated

Learn what makes chili peppers hot, from genetics and ripeness to plant stress and growing conditions. Explains capsaicin, the Scoville scale, and chili heat.

Jalapeño Peppers (Capsicum annuum): Origin, Heat, Growing and Cooking

by Roxie

Single mature glossy dark green jalapeño pepper pod hanging on a living garden plant with subtle corking lines

Jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum): 2,500 to 8,000 SHU, origin in Xalapa, how to grow from seed, harvest with corking, pickle, dry, and cook with them.