Chiltepins Peppers

The old saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” fits profoundly when making assumptions about the spiciness of a chiltepin based on its size. Make no mistake these little fireballs take the top spot in the middleweight class and almost made it into the heavyweight division. Unlike the other competitors in the middleweight class, chiltepins offer more spice than flavor. However, unlike the heavyweight competitors, the spicy capsaicin ride offered by chiltepins can be tamed by soothing liquids like milk. Chiltepins are commonly used to make great hot sauces or dried to be added to meals like tacos.

Chiltepin plants are native to South United States and North Mexico, and the state of Texas has recognized chiltepins as the state native pepper (see 75R H.R.C. 82). These plants also have the second name “bird eye peppers” since birds love to eat these peppers and are believed to be responsible for spreading the plant across the South. Some writings state that chiltepin peppers or seeds were sent to President Thomas Jefferson from San Antonio, TX, and President Jefferson planted the chiltepin seeds in his own garden.

Favorite dishes with chiltepins as an ingredient: We have only tried chiltepins in hot sauce (great by the way), so we will update our favorite dishes with chiltepins in the near future.