blake wrote on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:59:14 GMT:
> if you want the straight dope, consult 'Peppers: A Story of
> Hot Pursuits,' by amal naj:
> <http://www.amazon.com/Peppers-Story-...al-Naj/dp/0679
> 744274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217447314&sr=1-1>
> but, long story short, they are very carefully bred, not just
> for insect and drought resistance and the like, but for the
> market they're aimed at - less hot for anglos, hotter for
> mexicans, suicidal for habanero-munching mayans. jalapeņos in
> particular have been much tinkered-with for market
> acceptability.
Interesting, I must take a look at it. You can't really complain about
people selecting different sorts of peppers for hotness and flavor. I
expect jalapenos to be fairly mild and cubaneros even milder but I
wouldn't rub my eyes after cutting jalapenos or even chew on a plain
jalapeno as some people do. I suppose there must have been several sorts
of pepper when the Spanish came upon them. It's hard to imagine someone
breeding a jalapeno into a Scotch Bonnet.
--
James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland
Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not