Habanero

What it is¶

The habanero is a Capsicum chinense chilli, 2–6 cm long, wrinkled and lantern-shaped, usually ripening from green to orange, though red, yellow, white, brown ("chocolate") and other colours exist. At 100,000–350,000 SHU it is somewhere between ten and a hundred times hotter than a jalapeño, but what distinguishes it from other hot chillies is aroma: a perfume of apricot, orange peel and tropical fruit that is characteristic of its species.

It is very close kin to the Scotch bonnet; both belong to the same species and are hard to tell apart in the pan. The habanero tends to be slightly more pointed and lantern-like, the Scotch bonnet squatter, like a tam o'shanter.

Origins and history¶

Habanero means "from Havana", but the chilli is not particularly associated with Cuba today, and the reason for the name is uncertain. C. chinense was domesticated in the Amazon basin and spread through the Caribbean before European contact. The habanero became established on Mexico's Yucatán peninsula, where it has been grown for centuries and is part of the identity of Yucatecan cooking. Since 2010 "Chile Habanero de la Península de Yucatán" has held a Mexican denomination of origin covering the states of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo.

For a time in the late twentieth century the habanero was widely described as the world's hottest chilli; a cultivar called Red Savina was recognised by Guinness World Records in the 1990s. That title passed to the ghost pepper in 2007 and the superhots have gone far beyond it since. See hottest chilli records.

Flavour and aroma¶

The first impression is fruit: apricot, mango, citrus, sometimes a slightly musky, floral note. Then the heat builds, not instantly but over several seconds, and settles at the back of the mouth and throat, lingering for minutes. Orange habaneros are the classic; red types are often a little hotter and earthier, and chocolate habaneros smokier. Cooking dulls the aroma quickly, so raw or briefly cooked habanero gives the most perfume for its heat.

In the kitchen¶

A little goes a very long way. As a guide, a quarter to half of one habanero, deseeded, is enough to make a salsa for four noticeably hot.

• Yucatecan cooking: xnipec ("dog's nose", because it makes your nose run), a raw salsa of habanero, red onion, tomato, coriander and bitter-orange juice, served with cochinita pibil; habanero is also charred and blended into table salsas.
• Hot sauces: habanero is the basis of many fruity, vinegar-based hot sauces, often with carrot, mango or papaya.
• Caribbean dishes: interchangeable with Scotch bonnet in pepper sauce, jerk and stews.
• Whole in a pot: drop a whole, unpierced habanero into beans, soup or rice and remove it before serving for fragrance with moderate heat. Pierced or burst, it releases much more.

Buying and storing¶

Choose firm, glossy, brightly coloured fruit without soft or wrinkled patches. Keep in the fridge for one to two weeks. Habaneros freeze well; frozen whole, they can be grated straight into a dish. They also make an excellent fermented mash (see fermenting chillies). Dried habaneros and powder keep for a year airtight; the powder is extremely hot, so measure in pinches.

Substitutes¶

• Scotch bonnet: effectively the same heat and aroma.
• Other C. chinense chillies such as Fatalii or datil, where available.
• Bird's eye chillies: similar heat per gram in smaller pods, but none of the fruit; add a little mango or apricot to compensate.
• For a mild version of the fruity flavour, seasoning peppers such as ají dulce (also C. chinense, with little or no heat).

Pairs well with¶

Mango, pineapple, papaya, lime, bitter orange, red onion, coriander leaf, allspice, garlic, pork, fish, prawns, black beans and annatto.

Growing your own¶

Habaneros need more heat and a longer season than C. annuum chillies. Sow indoors in January or February at 25–30°C; germination can take two to four weeks. Grow on in a warm greenhouse, polytunnel or sunny conservatory in the UK; they rarely ripen well outdoors. Plants reach 60–100 cm. Feed with tomato fertiliser once flowering, and be patient: fruit may take three to four months from flowering to ripen. Plants overwinter well indoors and crop earlier the second year. See growing chillies and overwintering chillies.

See also¶

• scotch bonnet
• chilli-pepper
• hot sauce
• mexican cuisine
• caribbean cuisine
• capsaicin