Capsicum annuum
Origin: Mexico and Spain
Color/s: Usually this chili pepper is picked when dark green but occasionally it is allowed to ripen to a crimson red
Scoville Heat Units (SHU): (medium) 2,500-8000
Size: 2–3½ inches
Shape: Long, smooth and fat – the shape of a very small cucumber
Other Interesting Facts:
- Named after the Veracruz city of Xalapa (Jalapa)
- America’s favorite chili pepper
- Smoke-dried Jalapeños are know as Chipotles
- About 160 square kilometres (40,000 acres) are dedicated for the cultivation of Jalapeños in Mexico, primarily in the Papaloapan river basin in the north of the state of Veracruz and in the Delicias, Chihuahua area. Jalapeños are also cultivated on smaller scales in Jalisco, Nayarit, Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chiapas.