Today is a pretty exciting day for me as I'm looking around the yard and seeing my peppers performing quite well. I've got many different kinds of pepper plants that I recently planted; Bell peppers, mini sweet peppers, habaneros, serrano chili's, and even aji amarillo's (Spicy Peruvian Yellow Peppers).
Showcasing right now some of my favorites such as the Aji Amarillo! This pepper is a little bit of an oddball and very much unlike my mini sweet peppers. With small hairs on the stem and a few on some of the leaves, this pepper produces a spicy pepper that is used commonly in Peruvian cuisines. I've seen it being used in Papa a la Huancaina, Ceviche and even mixed together with some Lomo Saltado. Rich in capsaicin this pepper is quite resistant to many insects and some animals (except for many birds).
Capsaicin is one of the many chemicals that produces that burning sensation on your fingers and your tongue when exposed to it (an addicting feeling for some). Although, some people may not be able to handle capsaicin; Capsaicin is the primary chemical found in many peppers which is where it gets its spicy taste from. Capsaicin is suprisingly calorie-free even though it sure packs a punch if you consume high amounts of it. Ironically enough, capsaicin can serve as a mild painkiller. If you're trying to lose weight, capsaicin can definitely help in that department as you're sweating off and tearing up from the sweet sweet burn it produces.
Like most peppers, this pepper is also rich in vitamin C but don't expect to get much protein from this bad boy. With a Scoville Rating of 30,000 - 50,000, this pepper is about 10x spicier than a Jalapeno Pepper, and roughly around 1.5x-3x spicier than a Serrano Chili (although some specially grown Serrano's can have just around the same Scoville Rating as the Aji Amarillo.) An equivalent spicy pepper with similar Scoville ratings would be a Cayenne Pepper, just with a different general taste.
This is by far one of my favorite peppers, and I'm truly blessed (and surprised) that I could get my hands on these pepper seeds which are not very common at the store (unless bought in mason jars with the entire pepper).
Another one of my favorite peppers is, of course, the sweet pepper. If you're not all about spicy peppers but you want something to compliment your sauces (such as tomato sauces), your meaty meal or a salad, then the Sweet Pepper is generally a good option. Now, which sweet pepper am I referring to? Not the Bell Pepper that we all know and possibly love, but instead their mini thinner cousins, the Mini Sweet Pepper.
Lacking Capsaicin, and thus lacking any kind of spiciness, these peppers are truly great for any kind of meal, especially when cooked (although I do enjoy eating them raw, unlike tomatoes). Like the Aji Amarillo, this pepper is RICH in Vitamin C, however this plant lacks the hairs on the stem and the leaves which makes it more prone to infestations of ants and other critters that may want to enjoy a liquid rich meal. The water content of both of these peppers is relatively the same, 40% - 70% (if grown in similar conditions). Generally speaking, for spicy peppers, if watered less, the plant will produce a spicier pepper.