Named after Wilbur L. Scoville, the Scoville Organoleptic Test was developed in 1912 to determine the pungency of chili peppers. Their pungency is measured in multiples of one hundred "Scoville Units." The greater number of Scoville Units recorded the hotter, or spicier, the pepper.

As a youth I thought hot pepper was either cayenne or crushed red. Jalapeño, pablano, or serrano would have been exotic. It wasn't until my early 20's, while at culinary school, that I first encountered a habeñero. The chef instructor told us to sample them with great caution. I slipped the smallest sliver of fresh habeñero between my teeth and bit down. Immediately my tongue was on fire and my eyes watered. It took my breath away. Slowly my senses returned to normal and I realized the hard way that there are distinct differences between chili peppers.

Measured on the chili heat scale jalapeño is only a 5 whereas a habeñero is a 10, one of the hottest in the world. Some say the scale should go up to 12 just for this pepper. If used with discretion though, they can be quite pleasant.

When Columbus stumbled upon America he found civilizations that had been consuming chilies for 10,000 years or more. Thinking they were related to black pepper, and the Aztec name for them being chilli, he dubbed them chili pepper.

The Aztecs categorized chilies pungency into six levels, which in their own native tongue were: coco (hot),cocopatic (very hot), cocopetz-patic (very, very hot), cocopetztic (brilliant hot), cocopetzquauitl (extremely hot), and cocopalatic (runaway hot).

Throughout history the chili pepper has been used as a natural preservative, and for such physical problems as respiratory ailments, digestion, and poor circulation. Today it is even in an aerosol spray and used to ward of attackers.

Physiologists say that chilies are truly addictive, like nicotine or cocaine. This seems believable seeing how once you start to use them you actually crave their pungent flavor and sharp bite. According to chili expert Mark Miller, chilies have multitudes of underlying flavors, like a good wine. A few of the flavors that he mentions are chocolate, cinnamon, and fruit. This seems to be stretching it a bit in my opinion, but dishes do taste quite different depending on which chili or chilies are used.

Cayenne peppers are one of the most widely cultivated chilies in the world, yet at the same time, one of the least appreciated. In the food-trendy 90's, when hot peppers are mentioned, there are always the exotic habeñero, jalapeño, chipotle, pablano and ancho. Cayenne peppers, though, are rarely cited. They have more of an underlying, unconscious sort of popularity in the food world; cayenne has been a staple seasoning in American kitchens for a long time. Their versatility is evident in the sheer variety of availability: Dried and ground (the most common form), crushed (the type used on pizza and pasta), distilled with vinegar for hot sauce (Frank's Brand, used for wing sauce, is our local favorite), dried whole (used in Asian dishes) and whole pickled peppers (a spicy condiment from Central America).

This humble chili first arrived in North America, via Louisiana, in the early 1800's from Cayenne, in French Guiana, hence its name. At the time imported black pepper was expensive but cayenne (and tabasco chilies) grew, literally, like weeds in the southern hot and humid climate. They infiltrated their way into local kitchens and eventually helped shape the cuisine of that region.

Cayenne peppers rank 8 out of 10 on the heat scale. As hot as cayennes are though, they're not just heat; they still have a distinct earthy, somewhat smoky flavor. If you're feeling particularly courageous, place a minuscule amount of ground cayenne on your tongue to taste its distinct flavor in its purist form, then brace yourself for the heat that follows.

Most of the heat is concentrated in the seeds and ribs of the pepper. If you split them and remove the inside membrane and seeds it should tame its sharpness a bit. This will allow its own unique flavor to pervade.

Image	Name	Scoville Units	Heat Scale (1-10)
	Habanero	100K-300K	10
	Scotch Bonnet	100K-250K	10
	Jamaican Hot	100K-200K	9
	Thai	50K-100K	8
	Cayenne	30K-50K	8
	Serrano	10K-23K	7
	Wax	5K-10K	6
	Jalapeno	2.5K-5K	5
	Rocotillo	1.5K-2.5K	3
	Poblano	1K-1.5K	3
	New Mexico	500-1,000	3
	Anaheim	500-750	2
	Pepperoncini	100-500	1
	Bell Pepper	0	0
	Sweet Italian	0	0

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