Profile of
the Habanero Pepper 
Excerpted
from the Whole Chile Pepper Magazine
(July 1989)
Nomenclature:
In Spanish, the word means 'Havana like,' or possibly 'from
Havana,' referring to Havana, Cuba as a possible origin
for the pod. It is the only chile growing in the Yucatan
which has no Mayan name, leading to speculation that it
was imported there from Cuba. However, this chile is now
unknown in Cuba. Other names for the Habanero are 'Scot's
Bonnet' or Scotch Bonnet,' commonly used in the English-speaking
Caribbean islands such as Jamaica, and 'Bahamian' or 'Bahama
Mama' in the Bahamas.
Botanical Description:
This chile pepper belongs to a different species than most
pods utilized in the United States. It is not Capsicum annuum
but rather Capsicum chinense. Under cultivation, the plants
average between 3 and 4 1/2 feet tall. In the tropics the
chile grows as a perinnial; Habanero trees eight feet high
and as many wide have been reported growing semi-wild in
Costa Rica. The leaves are large, about 6 inches long and
4 inches wide. The plant sets 2 to 6 fruits per axil, and
the fruits are oblong with an undulating shape. Some varieties
of Habaneros are pointed at the end, but others are flattened
at the end and resemble a tam or a bonnet. They are 1 to
2 1/2 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide and usually grow
pendant on the plant. Although green when immature, the
Habanero can grow to a variety of colors: red, orange, yellow,
or white. Orange is the preferred color in most areas, although
some sauce manufacturers believe the bright red Habaneros
make the most colorful product.
Heat Scale:
According to sources who have tested Habaneros with high-pressure
liquid heat chromatography (HLPC), these are the hottest
chiles in the world, measuring between 200,000 and 300,000
Scoville Units. (Compared to about 5000 for a hot jalapeño.)
However, not all Habaneros are this fiery, as experienced
tasters of this chile will attest. Still it registers a
10 on the WCP Official Heat Scale.
Horticultural History:
Although the exact origin of this chile is unknown, ethnobotanist
Barbara Pickersgill suggest that since most wild species
of C. chinense occur in South America , it makes sense to
think that the Habanero originated there and migrated into
the Caribbean and Central America by way of Columbia. 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., so it is evident that
mankind has been growing these fiery fruits for at least
85 centuries.
Agricultural Aspects:
Most of the commercial plantings of Habaneros are in the
Yucatan Peninsula - mainly in México but also in
northern Belize. The cultivars most commonly grown in México
are called INIA and Uxmal. Seventy-five percent of the crop
is consumed fresh, 22% is processed into sauces, and 3%
is saved for seeds. There are small commercial fields in
Jamaica and Trinidad, but in most of the Caribbean basin
chiles are grown in family plots adjoining cornfields. Lately,
a great demand for Habaneros has prompted increased commercial
growing in parts of the United States and throughout Central
America, primarily in Costa Rica. Habaneros grow well as
annuals in the home garden. The seeds require quite a long
time to germinate and benefit from bottom heating. The growing
period varies from 80 to 120 days, depending on climate.
The yield also varies considerably, but a medium sized plant
can produce
over a quart of pods.
Legend and Lore:
The Dominican priest Francisco Ximenez wrote in 1722 of
a chile from Havana that was so strong that a single pod
would 'make a bull unable to eat.' Its reputation as the
hottest chile is making the Habanero both infamous and sought-after.
Méxican chile expert Arturo Lomeli observes: "It
is a great passion of those who love the heat because without
doubt it is the hottest variety known. It has an unmistakable
flavor - very characteristic.
