History of Cayenne Chile Powder

The Tupi language of early Brazillian people had a word “quiinia” which means “hot pepper.” This is the word our modern “cayenne” comes from, and it is likely that the area Cayenne, a municipality and the capital of French Guiana, got its name from the chile, not the other way around as many sources suggest.

Chiles originated in South America, the Cayenne being no different. It is most popularly and famously grown in French Guiana, where it is a big part of the cuisine and culture. The earliest written evidence of cayenne chiles comes from Christopher Columbus, who discovered them in South America and wrote about them in his travel logs. He brought them back to Europe with him. They quickly gained popularity, not only because of Columbus bringing them back, but because of the Portuguese who had established trade routes that were so fast and efficient that chiles were able to be successfully transported all across the globe quite rapidly. So rapidly in fact, that botanists for a long time were convinced that chiles were actually native to India or Indochina.

Even though we now know Indian cuisine as being particularly chile heavy, it relied primarily on peppercorns and ginger to give spiciness to the food. When chiles were introduced to India sometimes between 1500 and 1515, they were readily accepted as the superior form of heat and took over for black pepper or ginger in a variety of recipes.

Cayenne Chile Powder Cultivation

Cayenne chile plants are more like trees than like vines, as they have multiple stems and stand about three feet tall and are roughly two feet wide. Most cayenne chiles are only about an inch wide and they have a unique body, ranging from 3 to 12 inches long with a tip that curves instead of pointing straight, like most other chiles. Their irregular shape gives way to an irregular texture as well, with the chiles often being described as wrinkled. Mature cayenne plants will produce more than 40 chile pods, which ripen to a beautiful bright red on the vine before they are harvested for drying or to be sold at fresh markets.

There are various popular cultivars of the cayenne chiles. In the United States, the “Large Thick Red” style cayenne is used in the production of Louisiana-style hot sauces. The “NuMex Las Cruces” is a New Mexico State University Cultivar designed to be disease resistant against the “curly top virus,” a virus that harms the leaves of the chile plant and makes them shrivel, crinkle, and curl up against the sun, effectively reducing the productivity of the plant and in the worst cases, killing it entirely. Another, more mild cultivar of the cayenne is the Cherry Chile, which resembles a giant cherry and is much milder than your standard cayenne.

Where is it from?

Our Cayenne Chile Powder (30,000 SHU) comes from cayenne chiles grown in India.

Cooking with Cayenne Chile Powder

This ground cayenne pepper is reddish orange in color and may be used in any recipe that calls for ground red pepper. The heat level isn’t as high as some more popular chiles, like the ghost chile, but don’t let that 30,000- 45,000 SHU rating bore you or make you feel like you can eat a lot at once! Only use a pinch at a time because the heat feels like it increases over time with this chile powder.

If by chance you add too much heat, you can neutralize it or soothe it with a dairy product like milk or yogurt. Capsaicin, the chemical that makes your brain interpret the heat of a chile as pain, is not water soluble so drinking water won’t help soothe the burn!

Cayenne chile powder is a key ingredient in a variety of hot sauces, especially those that use vinegar as a main ingredient or preservative.

Some of our favorite recipes using cayenne are Cajun Chicken Maque Choux, Hungarian Pork Stew, Quick and Easy Vegetable Curry and Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

What Does Cayenne Chile Powder (30,000 SHU) Taste Like?

Cayenne Chile Powder has a distinct chile flavor, but the flavor is universal for all cayenne chiles while the heat is not! These are one of the rare chiles that have a distinct heat profile, not really a distinct flavor profile, so they are used primarily for their heat level. This is why they are such a commonly known chile- they are used exclusively for their heat, not for the flavor they can impart on a dish. These are no urfa biber, a chile that will absolutely give a distinctly raisiny flavor to your dish!

How Hot is It?

How Hot is It? Our Cayenne Chile Powder has a heat range that begins at a minimum of 30,000 SHU but can be as hot as 45,000 SHU. This is the standard heat range you would find in grocery store cayenne pepper, even though that cayenne is often not actually made from cayenne! Grocery store brands are notorious for mixing chile types to achieve this heat level and calling the chile powder mix “cayenne” generically. Our Organic Cayenne Chile Powder (35,000 SHU) has a similar heat range.

What Are Benefits of Cayenne Pepper?

Cayenne has a good amount of Vitamin A and is often used in cosmetics for its vitamin content. It is also used in lip plumping glosses, as the sting from the capsaicin in the chile irritates the lips and helps them swell slightly. Capsaicin is also something that is believed to help increase circulation, metabolism, and help with joint pain, so many people eat cayenne chile powder to benefit from those things.

Meeting Your Business Needs with Our Products

Cayenne Chile Powder (30,000 SHU) is a versatile bulk product that can be purchased in a large quantity for a variety of shop types. Salsa manufacturers love the color and consistent heat, while bakeries use it in gourmet cheese Danish to add a kick of heat and a beautiful splash of reddish orange on the otherwise pale pastry. Some of our other bulk customers who purchase this product include farms and specialty spice shops. Some small craft brewers too are turning to cayenne to give their beers a nice kick! Buy Cayenne Chile Powder (30,000 SHU) in bulk if you are a salsa, hot sauce, or even spicy ketchup manufacturer! It is a great product to have on hand for Indian and Mexican restaurants and adds a bit of excitement to any brewer’s flavor arsenal.

Substitutions and Conversions

You can use La Vera Smoked Hot Paprika in place of cayenne for the color, but it is not nearly as hot as cayenne and so you will need twice as much if you are looking for a noticeable level of heat. This paprika has a smoky flavor, something that would absolutely change the flavor profile of the dish you are making if you used it in place of the cayenne. New Mexico Lumbre chile powder has a similar heat level, but a distinctly fiery taste that might be more intense than what you were hoping for when comparing it to the rather neutral chile taste of the cayenne chile. Use Lumbre Chile Powder as a replacement for Cayenne at a one to one ratio. Depending on the recipe, you can also substitute 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne for 4 drops of your favorite vinegar based hot sauce.

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