Pickled pepper

Apickled pepperis aCapsicumpepperpreserved bypickling, which usually involves submersion in a brine ofvinegarand salted water with herbs and spices, often includingpeppercorns,coriander,dill, andbay leaf.
Common pickled peppers are thebanana pepper, thefriggitelli, theCubanelle, thebell pepper, sweet and hotcherry peppers, theHungarian wax pepper, theGreek pepper, theserrano pepper, and thejalapeño.They are often found in supermarkets alongside pickled cucumbers.
Pickled slicedjalapeñosare also used frequently for toppingnachosand otherMexican dishes.These peppers are a common ingredient used by sandwich shops such asQuiznos,Subway, andWawa. Pickled peppers are found throughout the world, such as the Italianpeperoncini sott'acetoand Indonesia's pickledbird's eye chili, besides the already-mentioned American and Latin American usages.
The flavored brine of hot yellow peppers is commonly used as a condiment inSouthern cookingin the United States.
To achieve the best results and minimize the risk ofbotulism, only fresh blemish-free peppers should be used and vinegar with acidity of at least 5%; reducing the acidic taste can be achieved by adding sugar.While larger peppers are sliced up to be pickled, smaller peppers are often placed into the pickling solution whole; however, they still require slits so that the vinegar can penetrate the pepper.To avoid botulism it is recommended that pickled pepper products be processed in boiling water if they are to be stored at room temperature; improperly processed peppers led to the largest outbreak of botulism in U.S. history.
As with pickled cucumbers, there are multiple ways of pickling peppers. The most common is as above, pickling in an acidicbrineand canned; next is quick-pickled or refrigerator pickling, which skips the canning step and requires the peppers to be stored in the refrigerator as mentioned above.  Forlacto-fermentedpickled peppers,vinegaris omitted from the salty brine; instead,Lactobacilliconvert the sugars of the peppers into lactic acid. Such fermented pickled peppers are often used to make hot sauce. At less than 3% acid, fermented pickled peppers are highly perishable if not canned.Sweet pickling with sugar and acid yields "candied" peppers, as for the jalapeños known as "cowboy candy".Cowboy Candy with added pineapple is referred to as Cowgirl Candy or Tropical Cowboy Candy.Pickled peppers are often made into relishes.
In Mexico most peppers sold are pickled.
The industrially important hot pepper mash, used in creation of condiments such as salsas, processed meats, hot sauces, dips, marinades, and table sauces, is made of pickled peppers and may be stored for up to three years for aging purposes to produce sharper flavors before further processing. ItsHarmonized SystemCode is 0904.2073.In the Caribbean the majority of hot peppers produced are processed into a pickled mash prior to further processing.
Tabascosauce is created by creating a pepper mash with the salt and the peppers, which then undergoes lacto-fermentation for up to 3 years before additional vinegar is added and after mixing; the pulp and skins are strained out.GraceKennedyproduced 660,000 kilograms (1,460,000 lb) of hot pickled pepper mash inJamaicain 2014 up from 325,000 kilograms (717,000 lb) in 2013 from local Jamaica farmers, in 2012 most production in Jamaica by GraceKennedy of hot pickled pepper mash for use in hot sauces was imported from Costa Rica.This was part of a joint effort by the Jamaican ministry of agriculture and GraceKennedy to increase mash production in Jamaica with a new facility, and decrease dependence on imported peppers through a series of 16 pepper nurseries.Texas Pete'shot pepper mash is pickled for two years from Cayenne peppers, whileFrank's RedHotis aged for 7–12 months.
For Huy FongSrirachasauce garlic and sugar are added prior to the fermentation process of the mash.
The Aztec peoples ofMesoamericawere making pickled pepper hot sauces prior to the Spanish conquest.