Super Hatch Chiles
One fresh medium-sized green chile pod has as much vitamin C as six oranges.
One teaspoon of dried red chile powder has the daily requirements of vitamin A.
Hot chile peppers burn calories by triggerring a thermodynamic burn in the body, which speeds up the metabolism.
Teas and lozenges are made with chile peppers for the treatment of a sore throat.
Capsaicinoids, the chemical that makes chile peppers hot, are used in muscle patches for sore and aching muscles.
Chile peppers are relatives to tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants, all belonging to the nightshade family.
The color extracted from very red chile pepper rods, oleoresin, is used in everything from lipstick to processed meats.
There are 26 known species of chile pepper, five of which are domesticated.
Adapted from the New Mexico Chile Institutes’ “Chile Pepper Facts”.
Published 08/17/10
