Scotch bonnet

Scotch bonnet (also known as Bonney peppers, Caribbean red peppers<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or Panamanian pepper<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Central America) is a variety of chili pepper named for its supposed resemblance to a Scottish tam o' shanter bonnet.<ref name="Bajan-Fiery">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="PLady1">Template:Cite book</ref> It is native to the Americas—a cultivar of Capsicum chinense, which originated in the Amazon Basin, Central and South America.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

File:Jamaican scotch bonnet peppers.jpg

Jamaican scotch bonnets— cultivar of Capsicum chinense.

Indigenous peoples like the Amerindians of the Antilles, the Tainos, and later the Caribs, transported scotch bonnet peppers and other staples like cassava and sweet potato on huge canoes. Both of these Arawakan subgroups originated in the Orinoco River Valley (present-day Venezuela). The Tainos from the Yucatán Peninsula and Belize were pioneers in traveling to the Greater Antilles, and they took a variety of chilies with them.<ref name=":sbp">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> They have since become a staple of Caribbean cuisine, especially Jamaican.<ref name=":sbhb">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish and Portuguese colonizers introduced scotch bonnets to other regions. Through the Columbian exchange, the five domesticated species of Capsicum were introduced into Europe, Africa, and Asia,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where more varieties developed across the globe. They became so popular in Asia and Africa, that many consumers there are unaware of the chili peppers' Mesoamerican origins.<ref name=":sbp"/>

Like the closely-related habanero, scotch bonnets have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 Scoville units.<ref name=":sbhb"/><ref name="About">Template:Cite web</ref> For comparison, most jalapeño peppers have a heat rating of 2,500 to 8,000. A completely sweet variety of scotch bonnet, cachucha, is grown on some Caribbean islands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cuisine

Scotch bonnets are used in many cuisines worldwide for hot sauces and condiments. They are compared to habaneros, since both are cultivars of the same species, with the same level of heat and pungency. However, scotch bonnets have a sweeter flavour profile and stouter shape.<ref name=":sbhb"/>

Scotch bonnets are mostly used in Caribbean, West African, Sri Lankan, and Maldivian cuisines and pepper sauces. In Jamaica, scotch bonnets are key ingredients in various Jamaican dishes, such as jerk, which is also of Taino origin and indigenous to the island.<ref name=":sbp"/><ref name=":sbhb"/>

In Latin American cuisine, it may be used as a substitute for similar peppers, like habaneros.<ref name=":sbhb"/> Scotch bonnets are used in coastal Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and San Andrés for Caribbean-styled recipes adopted from Jamaica, such as rice and peas, rondón, and beef patties— as well as, other dishes like sous and ceviche.

• Scotch bonnet peppers in a Brazilian market, in Tabatinga— a town along the Amazon River.
  Scotch bonnet peppers in a Brazilian market, in Tabatinga— a town along the Amazon River.
• A single ripe scotch bonnet pepper.
  A single ripe scotch bonnet pepper.

See also

• List of Capsicum cultivars
• Jamaican jerk spice
• Caribbean cuisine
• Cuisine of Jamaica
• Habanero
• Aji dulce
• Carolina Reaper
• Bajan pepper sauce
• Trinidad Moruga scorpion
• Nagabon

External links

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