What makes a culinary pepper?
We just watched a Seed to Fork episode on YouTube, and Meg mentioned that she likes to grow "culinary peppers" – specifically that she likes to grow peppers that they can use year-round in the kitchen. So what makes a culinary pepper? Well, just about any pepper can be preserved and used for year-round use. Many peppers are especially good for drying and to be used dried, crushed or powered in recipes. Many dried peppers are used as herbs or spices around the world.
Some of our favorite peppers for drying include:
Chimayo Chile
This special heirloom chile has been grown for generations in the Chimayo Valley of northern New Mexico. It is delicious and at first it tastes sweet, and then has a medium hot heat. Its great flavor is the result of hand selection by chile growers over hundreds of years. The Chimayo chile is perfect for making a red chile sauce, which is easy to make and delicious on enchiladas and burritos.
Aleppo Pepper
Another culinary pepper that is prized by chefs around the world is the Aleppo pepper, also called the Halaby pepper, makes delicious pepper flakes and is often used in Mediterranean cuisine. It has a beautiful deep red color, rich fruity undertones and an aromatic flavor. Worldwide it is used in crushed red pepper flakes and paprika powder. It also makes a delicious Aleppo spice mix.
Guajillo Pepper
The Guajillo chile pepper is very common for culinary use in Mexican cooking. In fact, the Guajillo, Ancho (dried Poblano), and Pasilla are referred to as the "Holy Trinity of Chiles". They are all used together to make authentic Mexican mole sauces. No kitchen is complete without dried Guajillo chile!
While these peppers above are amazing, all peppers can be the best culinary peppers!
From sweet peppers like Shishitos, to super hots like the Carolina Reaper, there is surely a pepper to please any palate and bring flavor and spice to your kitchen, so be sure to grow some peppers in your garden next season!
Chefs all over the world value culinary peppers as important spices to have in their kitchens. Grow some of our own delicious peppers today to add tons of flavor, color and heat to your recipes.
