Jalapeño

Spiciness: 5 - 6 (2.500 - 8.000 SHU)

General Info: Jalapenos (Capsicum annuum) are among the most well-known and popular chilies in Mexico and Texas and are mainly cultivated there. The Jalapeno Chili (prn: “Hallapenyo”) is named after the town Xalapa in the region of Veracruz. The juicy, thick-fleshed chilies have a medium level of spiciness and are also suitable for people who are not used to spicy chilies. They are consumed fresh, stuffed, pickled and - a typical variety from Mexico - smoked (then they are called Chipotles) because they are not so suitable for air-drying. Traditionally, the wood of mesquite trees is used for the manufacture of Chipotles, which gives them a characteristic smoky flavour. They can be obtained as whole fruits, as ground powder or pickled in Adobo sauce.

Plant growth habit: Jalapenos grow bushy and, in good locations, can reach up to 150 cm in height. The fruits reach a length of up to 8 cm and have thick fleshy fruit walls and rounded ends. The fruits often have a chapped, corked surface, which the Mexicans regard as a quality characteristic. Unripe Jalapeños are green, when ripened they have a powerful red colour. There are a wide variety of breeds, each of which have different advantages: Early Jalapenos bear particularly early fruits and ripen quickly. NuMex Primavera is a variety without spiciness, and Conchos and Jalapeño Jumbos have particularly large fruits.

Cultivation Tips: The seeds of Jalapenos germinate after approx. 6 to 20 days. After approx. 60-65 days, the green fruits can be harvested, and the red ones after approx. 80-90 days. Individual plants develop approx. 30 fruits, but with good care more is possible. As Jalapenos have a relatively short ripening time in comparison to tropical varieties, they are also suitable for cultivation outdoors in sheltered areas. The plants should then have a distance between them of 50 cm. If exposed to too much sun, the green fruits sometimes take on black flecks, but these disappear again when the chilies have ripened to red, and this has no effect on their quality.
Jalapeno Seeds can be purchased in our Shop.

Culinary: The Jalapenos are popular, above all, due to their juicy, flavourful fruit flesh. Jalapeños belong to the few chilies which also taste good when they’re green and unripe. When they have ripened to red, their flavour takes on a pleasant sweetness. In Mexico and Texas they are used in a variety of ways. Jalapeno Poppers are popular as a spicy snack. The chilies are filled with a cream-cheese mixture, breaded and fried. Very tasty! To preserve them they are pickled in vinegar or smoked (Chipotles). They are also suitable for use in making salsas, and are chopped into small pieces and added to salads. They harmonise particularly well with tomatoes and melted cheese, so are suitable for gratin dishes.

Curiosities:
Jalapeños are so popular that the Jalapeño Festival takes place each year in Texas, with the Miss Jalapeño contest, a cooking contest and Jalapeno-eating contest.
The mascot of the 1986 football World Cup in Mexico was a green Jalapeno chili called “Pique”, which wore a Mexican football shirt and Sombrero, and had a moustache.