[CH] What's that Pepper?

Dave Anderson (Chilehead@tough-love.com)
Mon, 24 Sep 2001 12:27:01 -0700

 
> At each hotluck there is usually a standout dish that blows everyone away, this 
> time was also the case, but with a twist...   In Chip's extensive chile garden 
> was an unassuming little plant with small, upright little chiles about the size 
> and shape of corn kernals.  When bitten they had a lemony citrus like flavor 
> which was pleasant but unassuming.  Thoughts would then go elswhere and you 
> almost forgot you had eaten the tiny little thing (Quote: "They certainly don't 
> look dangerous..."), but a minute to 90 seconds later heat would begin to 
> assert itself and would continue to do so for like 5 minutes.  It was the most 
> delayed reaction burn I had ever expeienced and approached the intensity of a 
> hab.  This would go on for nearly 10 minutes, and at the peak could only be 
> tolerated with an ice cube in the mouth!  Two of these eaten about 5 minutes 
> apart even had Chile King Doug on the mat!  At one point we had Chip, Doug, my 
> bro Rich and Andy B. eat them in unison.  Talk about a ring of fire!  Chip was 
> red as a fire engine and cursing Doug for talking him into it...   With all of 
> this, we could not even figure out what the little @#$%&$ were!  If anyone 
> wants to try to identify them I have a picture of them at:
> 
> http://www.exit109.com/~mstevens/tinyblast.jpg

DeWitt and Bosland's Peppers of the world has a C. Chinense 
called Yellow Birds Eye or Brazilian Bird Pepper which looks like 
it. The comments say: "Extremely hot; characteristic fruity C. 
Chinense aroma. Probably a wild form." They don't all look like 
Habaneros:-)

Dave Anderson
Tough Love Chile Co.
Http://www.tough-love.com