Tabasco pepper is a type of pepper which belongs to the Capsicum frutescens species. It has been named after a State of Mexico and is known as the prime ingredient of Tabasco sauce. A small quantity of the pepper is also utilized for the preparation of peppered vinegar.
Almost all the pepper was cultivated in Avery Island, Louisiana until recently. However, it is now also grown in parts of South and Central America due to the increased availability of farmland and suitable weather which ensures a regular supply throughout the year. All the pepper seeds are still supplied by the location in Avery Island.
A new virus resistant strain of the plant known as the Greenleaf Tabasco, was developed in 1970 after the pepper crops were almost destroyed completely by the tobacco mosaic virus in 1960.
What is Tabasco Pepper?
This particular variety of chili pepper is extremely hot, being rated at 30,000-50,000 on the Scoville scale, a standard form of measuring chili piquancy. The pods are usually 4 centimeters in length with the fruit looking upwards instead of dangling from the shoots. It is pale green in color when unripe and matures gradually turning yellow, orange and red progressively. The pepper plant is extremely bushy in appearance and needs to be trimmed on a regular basis for improving the yield. The pepper is the only one of its kind to retain its juiciness when fully mature.
Culinary Uses of Tabasco Pepper
The chili is not available commercially except as a branded sauce and vinegar. The sauce is marketed by McIlhenny Company of Louisiana, USA after being aged for three years. The first sauce recipe was created by Edmund McIlhenny in 1868 which consisted of combining vinegar, salt and Tabasco pepper which was then aged in white oak caskets. The original recipe remains unaltered to date with the business being carried out by the fifth generation of the family at present.
Tabasco Pepper Health Benefits
Trivia