Chili is one of the most controversial ingredients in cooking. Someone can not live without him, and someone reproached even once in my life to try. In terms of benefits and chemical composition of the product, pepper is a real storehouse of useful nutrients that must be in the diet of a healthy person. Meanwhile, there are a number of contraindications to the use of chili. Is pepper useful, can it drastically affect health, and who exactly should not get carried away with a spicy product?
Ingredient varieties
Consider the most common types of pepper, the main scope of use and taste features.
Guero
Painted in bright yellow. Gives a hot (medium) sweet taste and rich aroma. Used to prepare sauces for meat and fish dishes. It is this variety that is most often dried. Pepper becomes darker and is added to the famous Mole-Negro sauce.
Green chili
Unripe form of traditional red pepper. The taste and pungentness of red and green pepper is almost identical. The essential difference lies in the vitamin composition. Unformed green fruit does not have time to get the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals, so in terms of benefits, it is inferior to red chili.
Kashmir pepper
The name is due to territorial affiliation. Peppers are grown in the Indian state of Kashmir. This variety is called the most fragrant and soft of all known. Indeed, Kashmir pepper is not hot, but sweet and spicy. Spicy taste diversifies even the most boring dish. Do you join the multifaceted world of spices? Start with Kashmir pepper.
Traditional red pepper
It is this chili that we see every day on the shelves of supermarkets and introduce them into culinary experiments. The main rule of eating red chili is to remove the bones. They have an unpleasant bitterness, and they have the unpleasant property of sticking to the tooth enamel. Pepper is used not only fresh: it is dried whole, crushed into flakes, ground into powder.
Marinated / Canned Chili
Sold in cans and, unfortunately, rarely attracts the attention of the consumer. Spicy pepper accents perfectly play in vegetable stews, baked or stewed vegetables. Marinated or canned chillies can drastically modify any sauce.
Marinade can be excessively spicy and chemical. Manufacturers do not always care about the quality of their products, so check the composition and rinse the pepper before serving. So you wash away the top layer of the marinade and get rid of excess acid.
Habanero
One of the most burning peppers in the world. There is a special scale that determines the hotness and sharpness of peppers. It is called the Scoville scale. At 1912, Wilbur Scoville (a pharmacist) first decided to measure the stinginess of all varieties of pepper and create a special hierarchical table. In this hierarchy, Habanero takes one of the places of honor marked 35 with 0000 units. In taste habanero can be traced light fruit notes. Unlike other peppers, habanero must be removed from the dish before serving. For a short period of time, chili will give the food the necessary burning palette so take care of the guests and remove the ingredient in time.
Jalapeno
Mexican pepper has become synonymous with the word “explosion” in popular food culture. It has a solid green skin, quite, but not beyond, a stinging. Lovers of savory dishes prefer to stuff jalapenos, bake in the oven, preserve, add to sauces and soups.
Poblano (ancho / mulato)
The taste is very reminiscent of slightly spicy prunes. Fresh poblano is sold in 2 states:
- green (unripe, with tubercles on the skin);
- red (ripe, with a smooth and soft skin structure).
Chili is used as a separate dish (stuffed pepper).
Chipotle
These are the dried jalapeno fruits that have been smoked. Chipotle canned in a spicy sauce (Adobo sauce based on Mexican herbs and spices), which adds notes of smoke, tobacco and even bitter chocolate to pepper.
Serrano
Hot chili variety, geographically located in Mexico. Cooks work with serrano in gloves, using minimal doses of the ingredient. According to the already known Scoville scale, the severity of various types of serrano varies from 10 to 23 thousand. For comparison, the Scovilla bell pepper is measured in 0 units. Mexican locals add serrano to fresh tomato sauces and consider chili to be the main ingredient of traditional local cuisine.
Useful properties of the product
The benefits are determined by the amount of chili you eat per day. Focus on your own feelings and do not consume a large amount of pepper per day. In the presence of contraindications, it is necessary to completely eliminate the ingredient from the diet.
How moderate pepper consumption will affect the body:
- Improved appetite.
- Normalization of the digestive system, “restart” and the acceleration of metabolism.
- Beneficial effects on liver function and brain activity.
- Help the body in the fight against colds, asthma, epilepsy, atherosclerosis and hepatitis.
- Normalization of sleep and the prevention of insomnia.
- Slowing the growth of cancers (both malignant and benign).
- Increased stress resistance and increased pain threshold due to endorphin production.
- Improving blood circulation.
- Strengthen the protective function of the immune system.
- Prevention of diabetes.
Chemical composition of the product
Use of the ingredient in cosmetology
In cosmetology, a special extract extracted from pepper pulp and peel is used. The extract preserves the balance of vitamins / nutrients and will be useful not only for our digestion, but also for beauty.
Pepper extract has a beneficial effect on local microcirculation (accelerates it), warms the skin, dilates blood vessels. The ingredient triggers the breakdown of fat cells and enhances local metabolism. Application of special means with pepper on problem areas of the body will help to cope with cellulite, excess fat deposits. The warming effect of chili helps with joint pain, reducing skin elasticity and feeling of heaviness in the legs.
Remember: you can completely remove physical imperfections only through enhanced sports and a rational balance between consumed and consumed energy. Chile will help speed up the process so that the results will delight and motivate you to new challenges. As the only possible remedy in the fight against problem areas, the pepper will be ineffective.
We remove the emphasis of chili from the body to the hair. Pepper is able to stimulate the scalp, growth, strengthen hair. The ingredient prevents dandruff, hair loss, weakening the structure of the hair follicle. Pepper will help in the fight against excessive oily skin of the scalp and additionally nourishes the dermis with useful active substances. The main thing – do not overdo it with pepper. Sensitive scalp can react with a rash, deterioration and additional hair loss. In order to avoid irritation, go through the examination with a trichologist and agree with him on the rationality of using pepper.
Use of the ingredient in cooking
Pepper is one of the most common spices in the world. It is used in raw, crushed into flakes or ground to a powder. Whole fruits canned, pickled, stuffed with meat / fish / vegetable stuffing and baked in the oven as a whole. Chile perfectly diversifies salads, main dishes, soups, cheese plates, baked goods and alcohol. The introduction of chili in desserts and sweet dishes is gaining popularity. The closest example for our culinary practice is dark chocolate with pepper.
Clean peppers from seeds. They create the notorious pepper heat and make you rush from one glass of ice water to another. Do not be afraid that the peeled pepper will lose its piquancy and sharpness. On the contrary – you will feel the most open and organic flavor palette.
Spaghetti with garlic, butter and chili recipe
We need:
- Spaghetti – 500 g;
- garlic – 8 denticles;
- chili – 2 pieces;
- greens to taste – 50 g;
- olive oil – 100 ml;
- lemon – ½ fruit;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation
Boil spaghetti to the state of al dente. For 5 minutes before the pasta is ready, heat the pan. Finely chop the garlic or crush with a special device, chop the chilli to large chips. Pour olive oil on hot surface, fry garlic and chili. As soon as the garlic has become soft and supple – remove from heat. Add chopped greens to the garlic mixture and mix thoroughly.
Drain the water from the pan in which the spaghetti was cooked and pour the pasta into the pan with the spicy sauce. Put the frying pan on a slow fire again and simmer the contents for a few minutes. Add lemon juice to the pan, salt and pepper, stirring the dish thoroughly until ready.
This is one of the most dietary pasta options. Dish is perfect for breakfast or lunch. Serve as soon as the pasta is ready with a light vegetable salad.
Guacamole Recipe
Guacamole is a traditional dish of Mexican culinary tradition. Can be used as a snack or sauce. To get a bright rich flavor of guacamole, you need to pay special attention to the ingredients. They must be fresh, quality and ripe. Green chili or an overripe avocado can easily turn a dish from a savory snack into a bitter inedible porridge.
We need:
- chili – 1 pieces;
- Avocado – 3 pieces;
- tomatoes – 2 pcs;
- onion – 1 head;
- cilantro – 1 beam;
- lime / lemon – 1 pc;
- garlic – 1 tooth.
Preparation
The secret of cooking (1): to maintain the consistency and color of the dish you need to add a few tablespoons of lemon juice or lime.
Peel the tomatoes off the skins. To do this, place the tomatoes in boiling water for a few seconds. The peel will become soft, supple and easily removed with a knife from the scalded vegetable. Finely chop the peeled tomatoes, chili peppers (after removing the seeds), garlic, onions and cilantro. Using a blender or mortar, the ingredients need to be turned into a homogeneous mass of green. In the prepared mixture, add the juice of lime or lemon, 1-2 spoons of ice-cold water, lightly salt and mix again.
Remove from the avocado bone, peel off the thin peel and finely chop into small cubes. Enter the avocado in the vegetable mixture, mash the avocado and “beat” into the mixture.
The secret of cooking (2): the consistency of the dish depends on your preference. If you knead the mixture with a fork, you get an appetizer with whole pieces of some ingredients, if you use a blender – you get a real liquid sauce.
Serve immediately after cooking (or store for several days in the refrigerator) with chips, bread rolls or your favorite type of bread.
Contraindications and possible harm to the ingredient
It is necessary to approach the use of chili most responsibly. If the pepper gets on the damaged mucous membrane (wounds in the mouth, microcracks on the lips), it will cause severe pain and burning. To get rid of unpleasant sensations will have to try and kill a lot of time (the degree of burning depends on the type of pepper).
Methods of applying ice, drinking cold liquid or milk work. But the best way to deal with such consequences is a warning. If you are not sure of your own safety, refuse to use chili.
Pepper is forbidden to enter into the diet of patients with pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Pepper will become an irritant that will throw the work to already emaciated organs. Patients complain that pepper triggers heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, or nausea.
Chile is an ingredient that is available only to healthy people and only in small quantities. Fans of thrills should understand that excessive use of such an active product sooner or later lead to violations of the digestive tract functionality. Take care of your health and always consider the consequences ahead. Approach the issue of consumption sensibly and rationally, in order to preserve health and not get excessively burning and sharp impressions of the meal.
