If you are into spicy food, chances are good that you are curious about how some of the world’s most famous peppers stack up against each other. For example, Are Japanese shishito peppers hotter than Mexican jalapenos? Read on and find out!
Are Shishito Peppers Hotter Than Jalapenos?
While jalapeno peppers are far from being part of the big leagues of spiciness, they are hotter than shishito peppers. We know this with certainty thanks to the Scoville scale, a measurement of spiciness invented in the early 1910s by American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville.
Shishito peppers score a measly 100 to 1,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), while jalapenos boast a more respectable range of 2,500-8,000 SHU. In other words, the spiciest jalapeno can be up to 80 times spicier than the mildest shishito pepper.
The Japanese word “shishito” can be roughly translated as “lion pepper” or “lion-head pepper” because the creased head of these peppers look a bit like the head of a lion.
What Are Shishito Peppers Used For?
While shishito peppers might not be the spiciest, they are versatile and fun to incorporate into your repertoire of recipes.
While it’s not uncommon to see shishito peppers used as appetizers, you must be careful before sinking your teeth into one of these wrinkly peppers. Although they are generally mild, you can occasionally come across a really hot one.
Here are some common (and savory) ways to use shishito peppers:
- Grilled, blistered, or sautéed
- Pickled
- As dipping sauce
- Stuffed
- Tempura
- Salsa
- On pizza
If you are familiar with Spanish padron peppers, you might have noticed that they look similar to shishito peppers, and you’re right. Shishito peppers and padron peppers are so closely related that they are often used interchangeably in recipes.
For more curious facts about spicy food, check out our previous blogs, “Sriracha or Jalapeno; Which One Is Hotter?” and “Which Type of Curry Is the Hottest?”
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