Datil Pepper - 10 Seeds - Very Hot. Distinctive Taste
HOT PEPPERS:When Wilbur Scoville first devised a means to test the heat of peppers, his hottest entry then came in at 20,000 units. Habanero and Thai chilies can go as high as 60,000. Compare that to the sweet bell pepper at zero. When hot peppers are consumed, capsaicinoids bind with pain receptors in the mouth and throat that are responsible for sensing heat. Once activated by the capsaicinoids, these receptors send a message to the brain that the person has consumed something hot. The brain responds to the burning sensation by raising the heart rate, increasing perspiration and release of endorphins. Hot peppers should be eaten with caution!Datils are similar to habaneros but have a sweeter, fruitier flavor. Their level of spiciness may be anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 scoville units. The datil pepper is most commonly used to make a sweet but intense hot sauce, and recipes vary widely. One popular sauce is made with tomato paste and other sweet ingredients including brown sugar and honey. Datil pepper is also used in such St. Augustine specialties as clam chowder, pepper relish, and chicken or sausage pilau.The Datil pepper is grown almost exclusively in the Northern Florida city of St. Augustine. St. Augustine is considered to be the oldest city in the United States, founded in 1565. The state of Florida was claimed for Spain in 1516 by Ponce de Leon in what is now the city of St. Augustine. This is where he is said to have found the famed "Fountain of Youth". Who knows, maybe it was really the peppers! The datil peppers didn't come along until much later, actually. Minorcans, descended from the tiny island of Menorca off the coast of Spain, brought the seeds with them to Florida when they settled in St. Augustine in 1777.