Peperoncino

Peperoncino
Peperoncini for sale at a market of Tropea in Calabria, Italy
Heat	Hot
Scoville scale	15,000 to 30,000 SHU

Peperoncino (Italian pronunciation: [peperonˈtʃiːno]; plural peperoncini [peperonˈtʃiːni]; sometimes spelled pepperoncino and pepperoncini in English) is the generic Italian name for hot chili peppers, specifically the cultivars of the species Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens. The sweet pepper is called peperone (plural peperoni) in Italian.

The peperoncino probably came to Italy in the early 16th century, after Columbus had taken samples from the New World to Europe in 1492. Like the tomato, the peperoncino was first considered a decorative and possibly poisonous plant before it was adopted into Italian cuisine. It might have become popular as a food long before the cookbooks attest to its use. These cookbooks were written for the upper classes, while the peperoncino was a cheap and convenient food for the lower classes.

Pietro Andrea Mattioli first described peperoncini in 1568 and mentioned how much hotter they were than other varieties of pepper from Asia. Peperoncino was used in a cookbook recipe for the first time in 1694, by the Neapolitan cook Antonio Latini. In his recipe for Salsa alla Spagnola chopped peperoncini, tomatoes and some onion are combined with peppermint, salt and oil, to be served as a relish.

In Italian cuisine peperoncini are used with moderation and the flavour is considered more important than the heat. As a consequence the Scoville rating serves only as a rough guide to the heat, which is quite varied among the different cultivars.