The standardization of jalapeño peppers

[Alex]

Here’s Why Jalapeño Peppers Are Less Spicy Than Ever

 

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“It was a really big deal when breeders [told the industry], ‘hey, look, I have a low-heat jalapeño,’ and then a low-heat but high-flavor jalapeño,” Walker explained. “That kind of became the big demand for jalapeños—low heat jalapeños—because most of them are used for processing and cooking. [Producers] want to start with jalapeños and add oleoresin capsicum.”

 

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The standardization of the jalapeño was rapidly accelerated by the debut, about 20 years ago, of the TAM II jalapeño line, a reliably big, shiny, fleshy pepper that can grow up to six inches long—with little to no heat. TAM II peppers have become some of the most popular in the processing business.

 

[C. sapidus]

3 hours ago, Alex said:

Here’s Why Jalapeño Peppers Are Less Spicy Than Ever

 

 

 

 

Yes, something similar happened to Poblano chiles. Less heat AND less flavor.

 

Fortunately, Serrano chiles usually have a nice green flavor and a noticeable kick. I usually sub Serranos for Jalapenos unless cooking for the capsaicin-averse.

[Katie Meadow]

My experience is much the same, sadly. In the late1960s and early 70's I lived in NM. Jalapeños were reliably hot and not large. Poblanos were also reliably hot but not overwhelmingly so, and just right structurally for chile rellenos. If you wanted a hot long green chile there were varyingly hot ones, increasing in heat to the Hatch chiles grown in the Hatch valley.

 

I moved to CA in the mid-seventies. Most Jalapeños were reliably warm, perfect for making pickled peppers. Most poblanos were also very warm. Slowly over the years they both became milder. I was able to source hot ones at a super mercado here in the East Bay, but then that place, which was truly great, folded. Now if I want a Jalapeño I have to buy serranos, which are often too hot for pickling. Just once in the last few months did a batch of Jalapeños surprise me with heat.

 

I haven't been back to NM in years, but I do know that a mild pepper called Big Jim has infiltrated the market, and are sometimes sold amongst Hatch chiles. Several years ago I found one grower at the local farmers' market with reliably hot poblanos. Since the pandemic, though, even that source has become tepid.  It's really disappointing, as a lot of the food I used to cook depended on hot roasted green chiles. The Jalapeños recently have been like green bells, or worse, with no flavor at all. Trying to make the dishes we loved in NM is now almost impossible.

 

s

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Several years ago I found one grower at the local farmers' market with reliably hot poblanos.

 

I think the farmers' markets are the one true way to make sure we're getting "heirloom" jalapeños; there is a vendor at Union Square every year who has some of the real deal chili peppers.  But, as with everything else we want or expect to be "like it used to be," they're very seasonal. So, buying peppers in the middle of the winter may well be a crapshoot.

[Katie Meadow]

4 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

I think the farmers' markets are the one true way to make sure we're getting "heirloom" jalapeños; there is a vendor at Union Square every year who has some of the real deal chili peppers.  But, as with everything else we want or expect to be "like it used to be," they're very seasonal. So, buying peppers in the middle of the winter may well be a crapshoot.

What everyone in NM does is roast immense quantities of green chile in the late summer to early fall and then freeze them.  When your order a "bowl of green" out of season at any NM restaurant you should assume the chiles are frozen. I've been doing the same since I moved to CA decades ago with the poblanos I bought in the fall at farmers' markets here. It worked fine until the chiles lost their heat. Fresh jalapeños are more easily available during winter and spring; they seem to be  shipped routinely from Mexico all year long. But they are now always big, shiny and tasteless.

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

21 hours ago, Alex said:

Here’s Why Jalapeño Peppers Are Less Spicy Than Ever

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting the article. I gave up a long time ago on grocery store jalapenos and started growing my own.

When buying hot peppers from the grocery store Thai chilis, habaneros and finger peppers are still reliable.

 

[rotuts]

I add green thai chili to jalapeños  for heat.

 

as mentioned , serranos I can get 

 

s0metimes have a nice heat.

 

supermarkets chili's  I dont even look at .

 

unless its a hispanic store.    they sometimes have hotter jalapeños.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

Our local chile, chile peron, is reliably hot but probably  not available in your area. It's yellow, sometimes bright red, with black seeds. Those of us in the know make sure to exclude the central veins, which is the hottest part. Another name is chile manzana, apple chile, because that's kinda what it looks like--round and squat. It's popular among thrill seekers to drink mezcal from a hollowed chile peron (seeds and central vein removed) for a real kick. Often it's something that one does only once, unwilling to repeat the experience.

 

For the most part we use serranos because they're reliably hot, but we use chiles peron for guacamole. I've never found poblanos to be mild and/or tasteless. I use them routinely for chiles rellenos or other applications like a poblano-cheese-egg breakfast dish I often make.

[Katie Meadow]

51 minutes ago, Nancy in Pátzcuaro said:

Our local chile, chile peron, is reliably hot but probably  not available in your area. It's yellow, sometimes bright red, with black seeds. Those of us in the know make sure to exclude the central veins, which is the hottest part. Another name is chile manzana, apple chile, because that's kinda what it looks like--round and squat. It's popular among thrill seekers to drink mezcal from a hollowed chile peron (seeds and central vein removed) for a real kick. Often it's something that one does only once, unwilling to repeat the experience.

 

For the most part we use serranos because they're reliably hot, but we use chiles peron for guacamole. I've never found poblanos to be mild and/or tasteless. I use them routinely for chiles rellenos or other applications like a poblano-cheese-egg breakfast dish I often make.

When I lived in NM hot poblanos were a given. You bought them anywhere. I can't tell you how much I miss good chile rellenos. I don't know where the supermarket poblanos  are coming from in northern CA, but they are almost always bland. For a while I had two good sources for hot ones, but those days are gone. Very sad for me. I'll be in NM for several days in mid-April and fingers crossed for good green chile dishes at hole-in-the wall kitchens. 

[MaryIsobel]

3 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

When I lived in NM hot poblanos were a given. You bought them anywhere. I can't tell you how much I miss good chile rellenos. I don't know where the supermarket poblanos  are coming from in northern CA, but they are almost always bland. For a while I had two good sources for hot ones, but those days are gone. Very sad for me. I'll be in NM for several days in mid-April and fingers crossed for good green chile dishes at hole-in-the wall kitchens. 

When I am fortunate enough to find fresh poblanos (I love chili rellenos) often they are not much different heat wise than a green bell pepper.

[C. sapidus]

5 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

When I lived in NM hot poblanos were a given. You bought them anywhere. I can't tell you how much I miss good chile rellenos. . . .

 

I have also enjoyed excellent chile rellenos in New Mexico, but I am pretty sure they were made with New Mexico / Hatch chiles rather than Poblanos.

 

Were the ones you had chile poblano or something else?

 

I think my favorite was made with

[Katie Meadow]

1 minute ago, C. sapidus said:

 

I have also enjoyed excellent chile rellenos in New Mexico, but I am pretty sure they were made with New Mexico / Hatch chiles rather than Poblanos.

 

Were the ones you had chile poblano or something else?

 

I think my favorite was made with

It's pretty unlikely the chile rellenos were made using Hatch chiles. They don't have the structure necessary for stuffing and deep frying. They would just end up in shreds. Best to use poblanos for that dish; pick the flattest most straight peppers in the bunch.  

[C. sapidus]

23 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

It's pretty unlikely the chile rellenos were made using Hatch chiles. They don't have the structure necessary for stuffing and deep frying. They would just end up in shreds. Best to use poblanos for that dish; pick the flattest most straight peppers in the bunch.  

 

The ones I had were baked (maybe broiled), not coated and deep-fried.

 

Sloppy but delicious. 🙂

 

Edited March 29 by C. sapidus
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