Steenbergs – Organic Cayenne Pepper

Description

Cayenne was traditionally a cultivar of Capsicum frutescens, the smaller species of chilli pepper plants, from Cayenne in French Guiana. Currently, our cayenne pepper is grown as a medium heat single strain of chilli in Spain.  Chilli plants vary considerably in size, appearance and heat. It is hot and its heat is unpredictable, so varies from season to season. Capsicum frutescens is a herb or small shrub, with oval leaves and firm woody stems, growing to 1 metre high (3ft). They are usually grown as annuals as the yield of chilli fruits diminishes after the first year. The chilli pod is a many seeded red-orange berry with a shiny skin that can come in a wide variety of shapes, colours, thickness and spicy heat – at Steenbergs, we choose smaller fruits that are 1½ – 3½cm long and ½ – 1¼cm wide.

The aroma and flavour of fresh chillis is distinctly capsicum-like, with a hint of sweetness. Their pungent bite comes from the levels of various capsaicionoids, particularly capsaicin, which are present in the fruit; capsaicin causes the brain to release endorphins and so feelings of wellbeing. To make dry chillis, the fresh chillies are dried indoors at 20-25C (68-77F) to allow them to fully ripen, then they are dried outside on concrete floors, roofs of buildings or woven mats. At night they are heaped into piles and covered with tarpaulins to protect them, before being spread out again during the day. It takes roughly three days for the moisture content to be brought down to 10% from 70-80% when fresh; as an approximation, 100kg of fresh chillies yields 25-35kg of dried chilli spice. 

Details

• Flavours: Hot
• Cuisines: African, Asian, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Thai
• Ingredient features: Organic, Salt free, Sugar free, Vegan

Nutritional information

• Values per 100g:
• Energy 318kCal; 1331kJ
• Fat 17.3g
• Carbohydrates 56.6g
• Protein 12.0g

• Values per 2.5g teaspoon:
• Energy 8kCal; 33kJ
• Fat 0.4g
• Carbohydrates 1.4g
• Protein 0.3g

Seaweed says

Ingredients

Chilli’s