Estrek's tribute to chili peppers - Cayenne Redux Traditional Cache
estrek: Archiving due to construction.
Estrek's tribute to chili peppers - Cayenne Redux
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
One in a series celebrating our favorite producers of endorphins,
and the man who measured them. The exact origins of the Habanero
are unknown, but some speculate it originated in South America and
migrated north to Mexico and the Caribbean via Colombia; an intact
fruit of a small domesticated habanero was found in Pre-ceramic
levels in Guitarrero Cave in the Peruvian highlands, and was dated
to 6500 B.C.
The Cayenne Pepper is a type of chili pepper that originated in
South and Central America. They were given the name, Cayenne, for
the town in which they were first discovered. The remainder of the
world never knew of these peppers until the voyages of Christopher
Columbus. Cayenne peppers soon replaced the more expensive black
pepper from Asia. Today, Cayenne chili peppers are cultivated
around the world. However, most commercial producing takes place in
Mexico, Nigeria, China, and Spain. The Cayenne pepper can mature to
nearly six inches in length and a width of nearly two inches. This
large pepper has a brilliant red color with a moderate skin
thickness. When ready for harvest, the skin will be slightly
wrinkled. They have a Scoville heat scale rating of 30,000-50,000
SHU. The Scoville scale is a measurement of the spicy heat (or
piquance) of a chili pepper. The number of Scoville heat units
indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Capsaicin is a chemical
compound that stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin,
especially the mucous membranes. The scale is named after its
creator, American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. His method, devised
in 1912, is known as the Scoville Organoleptic Test. In Scoville's
method, an alcohol extract of the capsaicin oil from a measured
amount of dried pepper is added incrementally to a solution of
sugar in water until the "heat" is just detectable by a panel of
(usually five) tasters; the degree of dilution gives its measure on
the Scoville scale. Thus a sweet pepper or a bell pepper,
containing no capsaicin at all, has a Scoville rating of zero,
meaning no heat detectable. The hottest chilis, such as habaneros
and nagas, have a rating of 200,000 or more, indicating that their
extract must be diluted over 200,000 times before the capsaicin
presence is undetectable. All chilies found around the world today
have their origins in Central America and South America. Chilies
were spread by the Spanish and the Portuguese in their quest to
build a global empire and are still grown in their former colonies
in Africa and Asia. The chili varieties found in Southeast Asia
today were imported and cultivated by Spanish and the Portuguese
colonists and traders.
***Congratulations to starnsun
for being FTF!***
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)