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 Capsicum is perhaps the most popular spice in the world today, with significant health benefits. The Indians of South America have been consuming the fruits of hot peppers for 7000 years. The cooking of Indian, African and Asian peoples is simply unthinkable without him, although he appeared there only after 1492 thanks to Columbus, who brought paprika from America to the Old World.
Today, culinary specialists use hundreds of varieties of this useful plant, bred in different parts of the world and adapted to the conditions of various climatic zones.
Pepper fruits are varied in size, shape, color, degree of pungency and taste: from fruity hints of lemon and plum to spicy coffee, almond and even tobacco. Unripe capsicum fruits are always green. Depending on the variety, ripe fruits can be red, yellow, purple, and even black. And also, the smaller the fruit, the more bitter they taste. For cooking, green fruits are always used only fresh, and red fruits can be eaten dry as well.
Where are the health benefits of capsicum?
All types of hot peppers owe their health benefits to a single gene responsible for the production of capsaicin, a component that has the properties of a mouth-burning bitterness. It is mainly found in seeds and white septa, which must be removed from the fruit before cooking to soften the spiciness of the food. Because capsaicin does not dissolve in water, soaking the fruit will not eliminate the bitter taste. To significantly reduce the bitterness, the fruit should be poured with milk or yogurt, since capsaicin is soluble in fats.
The healing properties of capsaicin.
Hot red peppers have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. For colds, season well with pepper chicken bouillon and thereby enhance the effect of this traditional remedy, as hot pepper spices constrict the vessels in the nose and throat and relieve congestion. Capsaicin is also a metabolic stimulant that speeds up the burning of calories within two hours after a meal. As a result of studies on the medicinal properties of capsaicin, scientists note that diabetic patients who ate food rich in chili peppers needed less insulin after meals to lower their blood sugar.
What is Chili?
Chile is a red capsicum that appeared in Europe as a spice thanks to the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors of America. Later, the name "chili" became common for other types of hot pepper, which have fruits not only red. And in cooking, the word "chili" is used to refer to spices with a pungent taste of the pungent fruits of different varieties of paprika: Thai pepper, pasilla, guajillo, habaniero, poblano, tabasco, cayenne and others.
Pepper spices and seasonings.
Various spices and seasonings from capsicum are prepared in many national cuisines of the world.
Paprika - a spice with a moderately pungent sweetish taste in the form of a bright red powder from dried fruits of some varieties of capsicum. Paprika is mainly produced in European countries such as Hungary and Spain.
Cayenne - a hot spice made from ground dry fruits of red pepper, which the indigenous people of America cultivated and eaten even before Columbus. This red pepper variety grows well in the lands of modern French Guiana.
Tabasco - the most famous pepper sauce, the recipe of which was created by Edmund McIlenni.Making Tabasco sauce is a very long process that takes three years. It is produced in the US state of Louisiana.
Recipe peri-peri sauce known thanks to the masters of Portuguese cuisine, who in a special way mixed the pungent fruits of the undersized South African peri-peri pepper, lemon, various spices and herbs and got a fragrant spicy hot sauce.
Mole poblano sauce extremely popular in Mexico and is gradually gaining more and more fame around the world. The sauce perfectly combines the flavors of paprika, chocolate, spices, seeds or nuts of some plants.
Gourmet Caribbean Sauce.
Caribbean sauce is very easy to prepare and is an excellent seasoning for vegetables, baked meat and boiled fish. To make the sauce, two fresh red pepper pods, one tablespoon of sea salt and one cup of freshly squeezed juice are enough lime.
To soften the hotness of the pepper, it is necessary to remove the seeds and white core from its fruits. Then finely chop the fruits, place them in a jug, pour lime juice in which you had to dissolve the salt in advance, close the lid and put the jug in a cool place for 4 days in order for the sauce to brew.
So, the most popular spices and seasonings from hot paprika not only add pungency and piquant bitterness to cooked dishes, giving true delight to gourmets, but also bring invaluable benefits to our body, helping us to stay active, beautiful and healthy.
E. Olkhovich
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