Quote:
Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer  I am convinced, however, that there are many chilis found on the Indian subcontinent that 1. have not been tested, and which 2. are hotter than the Red Savina.
Using chilis for culinary purposes can really get complicated. One of the problems is that we do not have a lexicon of commonly understood terms. If a wine lover says a particular brew is "fruity," every other wine lover knows what he means. But chiliheads lack that descriptive language. So communication gets hard.
Another problem is learning comparability. For instance, a chinchi uchu has about the same heat as a serrano. Knowing that, I can substitute one for the other, particularly if I want that underlying flavor of the chinchi uchu. Keep in mind, however, that a serrano is about the size of my index finger, while three chinchi uchu barely cover my thumbnail. |
I'd agree with the first comment 100%.
I'd also agree that nomenclature for chilies, as well as descriptive terms, is all over the place.
I used to know more about the various varieties, and cooked with a greater variety more often. I'm just starting to get back to using more chilies, and have started reading about them to come up to date and to better understand them again.
I've not yet found another good source for ordering a wide variety of chilies. The place I used to use seems to be out of business.
Shel