jalapeño

The jalapeño is a well-known chili pepper, usually green when sold fresh and red if left to ripen fully. It comes from Mexico and is named after Xalapa in the state of Veracruz. Around the world, people know it as a pepper that brings noticeable heat without being as intense as much hotter varieties such as habaneros or ghost peppers. That balance of flavor and heat is a big reason it is used so widely.

On the Scoville scale, jalapeños usually fall between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville Heat Units. Their heat comes mainly from the inner ribs and the tissue that holds the seeds, which is why taking out the inside parts can make them taste milder. Besides heat, they also have a bright, fresh, slightly grassy flavor that works well in both raw and cooked food.

You can eat jalapeños in many forms. They are often chopped into salsa, sliced onto tacos, nachos, burgers, sandwiches, and pizza, or cooked into sauces, stews, and cornbread. Many people know them in their pickled form, served as tangy green rings. They can also be stuffed with cheese, breaded or wrapped in bacon, and cooked as poppers. When smoked and dried, a ripe jalapeño becomes a chipotle, which has a deeper, smoky taste.

In everyday use, the word usually refers to the pepper itself rather than to a general spice level. Whether served fresh, pickled, roasted, or smoked, the jalapeño has become an important ingredient in Mexican cooking and in many other kitchens as well.