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Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

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Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#11

Post by tptacek »

The reason I took away from this: large agricultural producers of peppers bred towards a "low heat, low variance" standard, away from a "high variance" standard that produced frequent hot jalapenos. Low-heat-low-variance is better for mass food production, because producers can just dose the capsaicin directly, which is something they can't do easily when every pepper is a wildcard.

There are second-order effects, like drip irrigation and cultivation techniques that optimize for shape, size, and color over heat --- but those are enabled by the industrial jalapeno's new position in the production chain. The peppers just aren't the point where the heat is introduced anymore; that happens later. Might as well optimize for good looking peppers.

This seems fine? Peppers are one of the easier and more forgiving things to grow yourself. Just grow your own or buy from a farmer's market.

Moments later, after reading the thread

This kind of stuff really seems to piss people off, but when you think about the disempowerment of the jalapeno, try to keep in mind that the same industrial processes have performed unalloyed positive things. Have you noticed that you're way more into brussels sprouts now than you were when you were a kid? If you're a GenX-er or a Millenial, that's because today's (delicious) sprouts aren't the same plant as the (gross) sprouts of yore. Same deal with broccolini, which hadn't even been invented until after your birthday (for most of you).

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#12

Post by ramraj07 »

tptacek wrote: post #11

The reason I took away from this: large agricultural producers of peppers bred towards a "low heat, low variance" standard, away from a "high variance" standard that produced frequent hot jalapenos. Low-heat-low-variance is better for mass food production, because producers can just dose the capsaicin directly, which is something they can't do easily when every pepper is a wildcard. There are second-order effects, li…

This has got to be the funniest responses to the problem at hand: peppers not spicy enough? grow your own..

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#13

Post by ericra »

sudden_dystopia wrote: post #8

I don’t like more than a little spicy but I discovered that if you stand the jalapeño up and cut vertical panels leaving the core and seeds behind, they are essentially just sweet peppers with a little kick. It seems that almost all of the heat is in the seeds and the plith.

As mentioned in another comment, you are correct that by far the highest concentration is in the pith/placenta (~90% typically). The seeds have a relatively low capsaicin concentration, but their surface gets spicy from being in direct contact with the pith.

But practically speaking, you're right. You can just cut away the outsides and get most of the flavor without much spice at all.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#14

Post by tptacek »

ramraj07 wrote: post #12
tptacek wrote: post #11

The reason I took away from this: large agricultural producers of peppers bred towards a "low heat, low variance" standard, away from a "high variance" standard that produced frequent hot jalapenos. Low-heat-low-variance is better for mass food production, because producers can just dose the capsaicin directly, which is something they can't do easily when every pepper is a wildcard. There are second-order effects, li…

This has got to be the funniest responses to the problem at hand: peppers not spicy enough? grow your own..

Have you never grown peppers? It really is absurdly easy. The point though really isn't that everyone's just going to grow their own peppers; rather, it's that it's very easy to introduce an alternate supply of highly-variable jalapenos, because there aren't many barriers to producing them. There are urban garden companies in Chicago that produce lettuce right now and could probably produce jalapenos if anybody really cared enough.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#15

Post by episteme »

thrwwycbr wrote: post #3

The article doesn't contain the actual reason. I'd argue that the real reason is that peppers are now mass produced in clean, bug-free, environments. Which means: No bug bites, no spice. If you grow peppers indoors where no bugs are, they tend to be a very mild produce. If you put them outside (and have enough insects around), they get much more spicy. Of course the usage of pesticides contributes to that effect, due…

Why do bug bites increase spice?

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#16

Post by hibikir »

simonsarris wrote: post #2

It's interesting how bad incentives are when something with qualitative differences (flavor, heat) is sold by the pound. Making it more palatable expands the market up to a point, but so does requiring more peppers generally. The most durable countermeasure seems to be totally outside of the purview of economics: building up a culture of caring about the product. Like tomatoes in Italy, or coffee beans among coffee l…

There are agricultural products where price per bushel has to do with some grading, which is tested along in the supply chain. If I can easily, quickly, cheaply test for any trait, its value can be priced in. See how much apples have improved, given that we could tell varieties on sight, and people learn the properties that come with each variety.

If you could tell whether a pepper's value in the scoville scale before buying, or the supermarket could accurately label things cheaply. the price differential, and therefore the quality, will follow.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#17

Post by amenghra »

sudden_dystopia wrote: post #8

I don’t like more than a little spicy but I discovered that if you stand the jalapeño up and cut vertical panels leaving the core and seeds behind, they are essentially just sweet peppers with a little kick. It seems that almost all of the heat is in the seeds and the plith.

My experience is most peppers pack the most heat in their seeds. Some peppers have a hot oil that can get on your fingers and start tingling minutes/couple hours later.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#18

Post by thrwwycbr »

episteme wrote: post #15
thrwwycbr wrote: post #3

The article doesn't contain the actual reason. I'd argue that the real reason is that peppers are now mass produced in clean, bug-free, environments. Which means: No bug bites, no spice. If you grow peppers indoors where no bugs are, they tend to be a very mild produce. If you put them outside (and have enough insects around), they get much more spicy. Of course the usage of pesticides contributes to that effect, due…

Why do bug bites increase spice?

They release enzymes necessary for the spice/acid production. The acid counteracts those enzymes.

If you cut open peppers, you can see the black veins which were bit by bugs, those are the ones containing the carbon acid.

A better way to protect them against virusses but not against bugs that won't harm them is by combining the top of peppers with the root of potatoes, and by using moss to heal the cuts where you combined them (e.g. with a toothpick)

Of course that won't work on an industrial scale, hence them favoring pesticides.

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#19

Post by JumpCrisscross »

> ask a produce manager or a supplier if you can get Early or Mitla peppers, or if the store can label its pepper breeds

There are a lot of jalapeño varieties [1]. Ripe Biker Billies are about as hot as cayenne [2].

Looks like one can buy Mitla seeds on Amazon [3].

[1] https://pepperscale.com/jalapeno-varieties/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayenne_pepper

Re: Why jalapeño peppers are less spicy (2023)

#20

Post by [deleted] »

thrwwycbr wrote: post #3

The article doesn't contain the actual reason. I'd argue that the real reason is that peppers are now mass produced in clean, bug-free, environments. Which means: No bug bites, no spice. If you grow peppers indoors where no bugs are, they tend to be a very mild produce. If you put them outside (and have enough insects around), they get much more spicy. Of course the usage of pesticides contributes to that effect, due…

[deleted]
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