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	Search Quick Order Form» Departments Vitamins Minerals Supplements Herbs Home & Grocery Diet & Fitness Body & Bath More Ways to Shop Brands A-Z Natural Remedies Children & Infants Women's Health Men's Health Seniors Free Catalog MotherNature.com's Catalog Is Here! Click Here to Get Your Free Copy Today. Newsletter Sign Up Weekly health news, sale announcements and coupons!		Library Home > Food Guide > Jalapeño Pepper JALAPEñO PEPPER Introduction Buying and storing Preparation tips Nutritional highlights Health benefits and concerns References Visit The Healthy Living Bookshelf: 21 Online Health Books From Rodale Jalapeños often add spice to basic dishes such as salsas, salads, and omelets, and they provide the punch in the popular snack food called poppers. Jalapeños have become an American institution and a basic feature of sports stadium and bar fare. In these settings jalapeños are used to spice up nachos or are deep-fried after being stuffed with cheese. They are also a mainstay in Mexican, Indian, and Thai cuisine. Varieties Immature jalapeños are hot when they are green but gain pungency and a red color as they ripen. They also increase in sweetness as they mature. These bullet-shaped peppers reach between 2 and 3 inches (5–7.5cm) in length and up to 1 inch (2.5cm) in width. When smoked, dried jalapeños are called chipotle. They are preserved by smoking rather than air-drying because of their thick flesh. Jalapaños are medium-hot peppers that range in heat between 2,500 and 5,000 Scoville heat units. How high a chile pepper scores on the hotness scale is determined by high-performance liquid chromatography measurement of how many parts per million of capsaicin it contains. (Capsaicin is the compound that gives chile peppers their fiery bite.) This figure is then converted into the historic Scoville heat units that signify how much dilution is necessary to drown out the chile’s heat. The heat level of a chile is given as a range because it varies with how and where the pepper was cultivated. Buying and Storing Tips Jalapeños can be found in the produce section of specialty markets and supermarkets. As these peppers mature they turn from green to red and get progressively hotter. They can be used for cooking when red or green. Choose fresh chiles with a glossy shine and deep colors, avoiding those that look wrinkled or soft. Store them in a paper bag for 1 or 2 weeks in the refrigerator or freeze for six months after roasting or blanching. Availability Green jalapeños are available year-round, while the more rare red jalapeños are found in the summer and fall. These versatile peppers are also available pickled. In their smoked version, called chipotle, they are the pepper of choice in many Southwestern recipes. Preparation, uses, and tips The seeds and membranes in chile peppers contain most of the capsaicin, the compound that lends them their mouth-searing qualities. Many recipes call for jalapeños with their seeds removed, and they are hot enough so you may want to wear protective gloves if you are preparing them in quantity. Jalapeños are often used for adding spice to basic dishes such as salsas, salads, and omelets but are widely enjoyed as a snack food in the guise of poppers, a popular pub snack, or sliced on top of nachos. Nutritional Highlights Jalapeño pepper (raw),, 1/2 cup (45g) Calories: 13.5 Protein: 0.6g Carbohydrate: 2.6g Total Fat: 0.3g Fiber: 1.3g *Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value, based upon United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the USDA Recommended Daily Value. Nutritional information and daily nutritional guidelines may vary in different countries. Please consult the appropriate organization in your country for specific nutritional values and the recommended daily guidelines. Health benefits and concerns Health benefits and concerns for vegetables Many health benefits and concerns associated with this food are applicable to other vegetables. Read about health benefits and concerns for vegetables for a full description.

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