The Taino and Carib Indians invented the Caribbean’s first peppe

Cayman Pepper Peeves!Saturday, January 13, 2007Caribbean Scotch Bonnet peppers have been one of thehottest "ingredients" in the North American food scene for the lastdecade.Celebrity chefs like Allan Susser and Steven Raichlen "discovered"Scotch Bonnets and caused a sensation with their searing creationsstarring our humble little peppers.The Food Network has showcased Scotch bonnets in segments aboutJamaica's jerk seasoning.Almost every issue of Chile Pepper magazine, the last word on globalHeat Cuisine, features at least a mention of the unique flavor of theScotch Bonnet.Today, the nugget-size chile appears in everything from four starrated restaurant cuisine to hot sauces and fancy condiments.So tell me, please why I have to beg for real pepper with my mealwhenever I eat out here in Cayman?Where are those tempting jars full of vinegar and Scotch bonnetpeppers, the original Cayman pepper sauce—or any pepper at all? Thisissue has become a pet peeve – and I'll bet it's a burning issue formany readers too.Now, there are exceptions and I salute those few restaurants withproper pepper on their tables. But lately it seems that even thosespecializing in "local food," don't offer any to customers. Ask forit and the server usually points to a shaker filled with commonground black pepper.If I request pepper sauce, I may get a bottle of that wateryLouisiana red stuff. Let me tell you: when a Caribbean person isoffered Tabasco with red bean soup, stew beef or steam fish, it's aninsult. I have enough in my purse without having to pack a travelerbottle of pepper sauce. But right now, that's the only solution.Maybe this is simply a cultural oversight. Or perhaps litigation-waryrestaurateurs are worried about unsuspecting tourists and foreignresidents tangling with incendiary West Indian seasoning.However, I have been in upscale Cayman restaurants catering totourists where "New World Fusion" recipes using Scotch Bonnetsresembled culinary arson. And yet, there's no pepper allowed at thetable.In Cayman and Jamaica, "country pepper" is a general term for hotpepper and includes Scotch Bonnets and mutton peppers—but the Scotchbonnet is the most commonly used. It a smaller relative of theMexican habanero—one of the world's hottest peppers.In Scoville Units (the international scale which measures theintensity of capsaicin, the heat source of chiles) the Scotch Bonnetranks 9 to 10 with 100,000 units—lots hotter than a jalapeno, whichhas only 2,500 –5,000 units.The come in a variety of colors, from pale green through orange andbright red, depending on age. This pepper is famous for putting thefire in Jamaica's jerk seasoning. But it's really the flavor we craveeven more than the heat.Mutton peppers have long been the favorite pepper in Cayman Brac,however. These small, pale green peppers have a more oval, eventriangular shape, a wonderful flavor and aren't as fiery. Brackersmake a table pepper sauce from them and use them for seasoning fish,conch and whelk stews, along with meats and soups. They're hard tofind on Grand Cayman.We also like our "seasoning peppers" a smaller and milder ScotchBonnet hybrid that has a similar flavor without much heat, found onlyin Cayman.Regardless of the nationality of the menu or the culinary artistry ofthe dish in front of us, Caymanians may still want to add a littlepepper. This should not be taken as an insult by the chef. We'retalking about a cultural affinity whose roots date back 10,000 years.Scientists now believe that hot peppers (the correct name is actuallychiles with an "e") probably originated in South America, in theregion bordered by the mountains of southern Brazil, Bolivia,Paraguay and Northern Argentina. Migrating birds ate the fruits andspread the seeds throughout the Americas as "organic fertilizer."Chiles have been the soul of South and Central American and Caribbeanseasoning since the beginning of this region's recorded history.Proof of chili use dates back to Tehaucan, Mexico around 7500 BC. andPeru in 6500 BC.They were one of the first plants to be domesticated and cultivatedin the New World. Chiles were important to the Incan diet andespecially loved by the Aztec, whose royalty enjoyed chicahuatl, adrink made from chocolate and chiles. The Mayan considered pepperssacred for their magical and medicinal powers.Botanists believe our Scotch Bonnet, now truly an indigenousCaribbean pepper, originated as a wild chile first domesticated inPeru, and later, cultivated enthusiastically by the Taino Indianslong before Columbus arrived. How it first traveled to the GreaterAntilles remains a mystery.The Taino and Carib Indians invented the Caribbean's first peppersauce, liberally seasoning fish, game and other food with coui, amixture of hot peppers and cassava juice. Columbus wrote this in his1493 journal, noting the Tainos' use of pepper on almost everythingthey ate.Chiles were one of the first—and most celebrated—"discoveries"Columbus took home to spice-crazed Europe from his first voyage,adding new fuel to the Old World's fascination with pepper as a spice.Traditional Caymanian cookery used only a few simple seasonings likeblack pepper, sweet green pepper, scallion and thyme, and hot peppersplayed an important role for their special flavor.Caymanian cooks discovered long ago that the Scotch bonnet or muttonpepper's fruity, fiery taste was an ideal complement to coconut milkdishes. Paired with lime juice and salt, these peppers had no equalfor seasoning fish, conch and whelks.In days gone, most Cayman yards had a pepper "tree", either in a potor in the ground—bushy, healthy plants bear year-round. Every tablewhether home or restaurant, always had a small dish of minced orsliced pepper and a glass jar filled with homemade pepper sauce.This potent condiment is a fragrant fusion of Scotch bonnet (ormutton) peppers, vinegar, onions, and carrots, sometimes seasonedwith garlic, allspice berries and cho-cho slices. Its metal lid wasencrusted with telltale black, signifying the sauce was aged andready to use.Hurricane Ivan destroyed many things, including our local pepper cropand for more than a year, we suffered without fresh heat. Weshamelessly wrestled to beat other shoppers if we spotted a fewhandfuls of fresh peppers at Kirk's or Foster's.However, today you'll once again see a generous supply of ScotchBonnets in local supermarkets and when available, seasoning pepperstoo. Shelves are filled with a five-alarm collection of Caribbeanpepper sauces, including our own delicious local brands.You can also buy freshly made Cayman pepper sauce from ZelmaleeEbanks North Side kitchen at Willie's Fresh Fruits & Juices in RedBay. (It's so good you'll want to buy the largest bottle available.)Cayman even has Hell Sauce, its own home-grown and bottled condiment,and several award winning hot sauces including Tortuga Hell-Fire HotPepper Sauce and Tortuga Spicy Mango Sauce, produced by Tortuga RumCompany Ltd. (available at www.tortugarums.com) Their sauces have wontop honors in the Annual Scovie Awards, the Official Contest of theFiery Foods and Barbecue Industry.Based in New Mexico, the organization is considered the world'sauthority on chile-seasoned products, from barbecue sauces to sweets.Each year, the competition attracts more than 500 entries from allover the world, competing in 80 fiery food categories includingsalsas, hot pepper sauces, barbecue sauces and sweet heat products.I think you'll agree: there's no longer any excuse for Tabasco aloneon the Cayman table. Restaurant people, hear me now. Honor ourculinary heritage and put real pepper sauce back on the table whereit belongs—at every meal. And that includes breakfast—a dash or twoof scotch bonnet sauce in cold orange juice could be the beginning ofa better day. What a way to wake up ordinary scrambled eggs—or evencornmeal porridge, for that matter.Pepper FactsChile, with an "e", is the correct name for what we call "pepper" andthere are more than 100 varieties worldwide. Chili is the spicy dishpopular in Tex-Mex restaurants.Chiles are good for you: rich in vitamins A, C and E and excellentsources of potassium and folic acid. However, be careful whenhandling the peppers and never touch your eyes, nose or any mucousmembranes until you have washed your hands thoroughly. If you want totaste a tiny piece of fresh chile pepper, put it in your mouthwithout touching your lips or you may be in pain for some time!Peppers get their heat from capsaicin, a potent chemical unaffectedby cooking or freezing. It is concentrated in the seeds and insideveins, or ribs, of the pepper. To reduce the fire of chiles whileretaining flavor, remove seeds and pale membranes or veins inside thepepper—these contain the most intense heat.Capsaicin tells the brain to produce endorphins, natural painkillersthat create a feeling of well being and stimulation. It's now beingused in creams and homeopathic remedies ranging from arthritis reliefto routing the flu.A whole Scotch bonnet, minced, even without the membrane and seeds,is a lot of heat. When you are ready to experiment, startconservatively, using a very tiny amount, perhaps a few slivers—definitely not a whole minced pepper—in any recipe. You can alwaysadd more later. Or use a milder mutton pepper—or if you are luckyenough to find one, use what we call "seasoning peppers," includinghybrid varieties of Scotch Bonnet, that have the bold Scotch bonnetflavor without the intense fire.Alcoholic drinks will not put out a chile fire. If you get a pepperoverdose, reach for milk, sour cream, ice cream or any dairyproduct. At roadside stands, harddough bread and festival are commonaccompaniments to jerk pork or chicken because bread, rice andstarchy foods also help absorb the heat of capsaicin.Consuming huge quantities of Red Stripe, tequila or rum will NOT curepepper afterburn…you just won't care anymore. Alcohol actually helpsincrease the body's absorption of capsaicin and may make the foodtaste hotter. A beer chaser to pepper also makes you sweat more.Are these peppers worth so much work—and possible pain? Absolutely.Many islanders swear good health requires a dose of pepper every dayand have believed, like their ancestors, that pepper boosts theimmune system.Cayman Pepper SauceOn my first visit to Cayman, this fiery but colorful concoction wasmy introduction to Caribbean peppers. I ate a spoonful of peppersinstead of drops of the sauce. After they resuscitated me, I couldnever again settle for that sissy Louisiana red sauce. No Caymaniantable is complete without a jar of this.1 dozen Scotch bonnet peppers, including red, yellow and green, sliced1/2 medium onion, sliced very thin2 cloves garlic, sliced very thin1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into very thin rounds2 teaspoons salt2 cups white vinegarTake a sterilized 16-ounce jar (or two 8-ounce jars) and add thepeppers and other vegetables and salt. Heat the vinegar until veryhot but not boiling. Pour over the peppers and vegetables to cover,then seal jar. Let stand at least a week for flavors to blend. Drops(or spoonfuls) of the peppery vinegar is the actual "sauce" but manyof us cannot resist digging into the pickled peppers and veggies.(**Some people add four or five whole allspice berries to thisrecipe.)