27 Apr 10 Chilli facts you may not of known
Posted at 00:35h
in Chilli
Okay Pyro-Gourmaniacs,
Something Different today, 10 Chilli facts you may not of known..
- The use of Chillies as a weapon dates back 1,000’s of years. In ancient Asia bags filled with Chillies and spices were thrown at enemies. In Japan ground Chillies were thrown into the faces of criminals as a form of punishment.
- In the United States all postal staff are issued with pepper spray to defend themselves against dogs and other animal attacks.
- Farmers in Africa use Chillies attached to fences to keep elephants from their crops. Elephants hate the smell.
- Scientists working for the Indian Army are testing Chilli grenades as a form of non lethal weapons to use on hidden enemies. mmmmm Fiery Chemical Warfare
- The Big Jim Chilli plant produces the largest known Chilli pods in the world that grow in excess of a 30 cm long, not bad for a plant that only grows around 1 m Tall.
- In early civilisations such as the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs Chillies were used as a currency.Obviously way ahead of there time.
- Dedicated Chilli growers continually try to produce the world’s hottest chillies resulting in records being broken on a regular basis. Possibly the best known Super Hot Chilli is the Bhut Jolokia otherwise known as the Naga/Ghost Chilli this was the world record holder in 2007 rated at around 1,000,000 Scoville units, and yet only 6 1/2 years later the new king of the Chillies is the Carolina Reaper measuring an incredible 2,500,000+ Scoville units more than double that of the ghost. Who knows what they might reach in the future!
- The smallest known Chilli is the Rodriguez Chilli from the island of the same name, it’s the sister island to Mauritius. The very small Fruits are bloody Hot and are used extensively amongst the islanders to make sauces and Chutneys.
- It is estimated that Mexicans eat 6 kilos of fresh Chillies and 0.5 kilos of dried Chillies each per year which means they eat more Chillies than Onions and Tomatoes put together.
- Aztec women used to believe that Chilli makes your skin beautiful, so much so they use to apply a paste to their skin made from Chilli powder and urine, mmmmmm nice….
