markstevens

[chopjwu12]

Nicholas and i were talking about spicy food the other day. I love it he's not a huge fan. I know mark loves spict food. Well nicholas was telling me he was watching a tv show about a guy who holds the record for eating jalapenos. Its some rediculous number like 50 or 60 i have to find out for sure. They asked him how it was or if it had any effects on him. He said the next 48 hours were hell because i guess its like fire shooting out his butt. My challenge to mark is to brake the record. Are you up for it?

[Steve Klc]

David and Mark--have you observed jalapenos gradually becoming less hot and a little sweeter over the years?

[chopjwu12]

Sometimes are run across a batch of sweeter ones but in all i think i still find them a bit spicy. Maybe mark has a different opinion.

[=Mark]

Sorry, I gotta leave that insane stuff to the professionals! I'm into Hot & Spicy for my own enjoyment and occasional culinary bungee jumping, not for macho pissing contests (should that be flaming pooting contests? )

Doug Barnhart was featured on a TV Food network segment filmed at a local Chilehead Hotluck chomping down whole habaneros. He's also 3 time champion of the Bowers Chile Festival Jalapeno eating contest. I'll let him duke it out with Biker Billy...

As far as heat levels, Texas A&M has been developing a low heat jalapeno for years called the TAM Jalapeno. It is for companies like Old El Paso, Pace and Taco Bell, so the flavor of jalepenos could be infused into their products while maintaining a low level of heat. They are also bred to be more resistant to common viruses known to attack peppers. This has been anathema to many Chileheads as there is little to prevent cross pollenation of these emasculated pods to the good stuff. Also, they are visually identical to normal jalepenos, so folks in the wholesale/retail distribution system can not tell them apart without actually tasting them.

There has been discussion on the ChileHead mailing list about the possibility of this causing the noted lack of heat in many batches of jalapenos but it remains unresolved as there are many factors involved in the heat levels in harvested chiles. For instance, a particularly good growing season with good amounts of rain and lots of sun can result in milder chiles. Plants seem to react to being stressed by increasing heat levels in the peppers, so drought, predation by animals and other stress inducers can up the fire factor. Hopefully the lack of rain here in the mid Atlantic area over the last month will make for a toasty batch of chiles.

[Steve Klc]

Thanks Mark for sharing that.

[chopjwu12]

yeah mark some great stuff. You are totally right about suffering plants too. A plant that suffers develops much better fruit.

[Rail Paul]

On that same subject, Mark and David -

does the source of the US jalapeno (TX or NM or AZ) make a significant difference in the heat level?

and, does the opening of borders under NAFTA enable hotter Mexican chiles to compete with US grown products? I'd suspect the weather in Oaxaco or Jalisco could create a fiery pepper...

[chopjwu12]

im not sure but i would guess so because of the plants stress. Im sure the chiles from mexico would be hotter then their american counterpoints. Depending on where in america they were grown.

On the same subject has anyone read the latest issue of of AC? There is a big section on chiles. There is a chile that measures 1 1/2 times hotter then a red habenero. It came in at 800,000 scovels and change. They are testing for tear gass. It would make me cry thats for sure,

[=Mark]

On the same subject has anyone read the latest issue of of AC?

Atlantic City has it's own magazine?

[chopjwu12]

art culinare

[sladeums]

chopjwu12 posted on Aug 1 2002, 12:52 AM

There is a chile that measures 1 1/2 times hotter then a red habenero. It came in at 800,000 scovels and change.

Do you mean the Tezpur Chile?

If so, I think it is still a point of contention, particularly in the West, over whether or not it actually is hotter than the Red Savina.

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