Jalapeño
The mighty jalapeño is a wildly accessible pepper for all levels of chilehead. You may not know this, but chipotle peppers are actually just smoked, ripe jalapeños. Jalapeños tend to show up in stores as a dark green, but when left on the plant can become red.
There are several Major League Eating competitions around jalapeños, two of which have been won by Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti. Joey Chestnut owns the record for most Jalapeño poppers eaten in 10 minutes at a whopping 118. Patrick Bertoletti holds the record for 275 pickled jalapeño peppers eaten in 8 minutes and 191 in 6.5 minutes.
We’ve made jalapeños in several ways. Pickled, candied, sliced, diced, popper-ed. This is the universal pepper. There’s really no “wrong” way to use a jalapeño, so don’t be shy and get up in there.
History of the Jalapeño
Named after the city of Xalapa in Veracruz, Mexico, the jalapeño is one of the earliest peppers that was cultivated and grown particularly for it’s flavor and heat. It’s unclear when the jalapeño was initially discovered, but by 2000, they were being grown widely.
Cultivars of the Jalapeño
- Biker Billy Hybrid
- Black Jalapeño
- Chilipeño Hybrid
- Conchos
- False Alarm Hybrid
- Fooled You Hybrid
- Firenza
- Grandpa’s Favorite
- Jalafuego
- Jalapa Hybrid
- Jalapeño Early (most common)
- Jalapeño Jumbo
- Jalapeño M
- Jalapeño Purple
- Jalapeño Tam
- Jaloro (Yellow Jalapeño)
- Jwala Pepper
- Mitla Hybrid
- Mucho Nacho Hybrid
- NuMex Pinata Jalapeño
- Orange Jalapeño
- Señorita Hybrid
- TAM Vera Cruz