Pepper is a seasoning present on most households in the world. It is different – as burning, and not very, but still it is – a valuable seasoning. Once it was worth its weight in gold! Fortunately, nowadays any cook can take advantage of pepper without prejudice to the wallet.
Pepper has not always been burning – it has acquired this quality in the process of evolution. So the plant scares away animals and attracts birds, on which the burning substance does not work. The fact is that the seeds of pepper, passing through the body of birds, remain whole, which is not the case with animals. The ancient Aztec and Maya were the first to domesticate the pepper. They used sharp fruits instead of salt, which was poorly known to them, and sweet fruits – as a vegetable. Pepper had his own deity, Chantico, the consort of the god of fire. According to legend, she ate fish with paprika in the post, and as a punishment her husband turned her into a dog. Some sources claim that pepper allowed the Indians to win one of the battles against the Spaniards. According to legend, the American aborigines sprinkled hot pepper on the smoldering embers. The resulting smoke blinded the Europeans, completely depriving them of the ability to defend themselves.
The most burning types of red pepper are called “chili peppers”. Translated from the Aztec language, this word just means “red.” Red pepper contains many vitamins of groups A, C and B, as well as magnesium, potassium and iron. In green pepper (immature fruits of the same plant) the content of useful substances is much less. Pepper is part of the famous curry and hops-suneli spices. Some types of peppers are so burning that a single touch of them can damage the skin or even cause a chemical burn. The only way to safely cook such peppers is to wear rubber gloves. In order to neutralize the burning sensation from excessively hot pepper, it is necessary to drink not water, but milk, otherwise the effect will be reversed. Also, the “fire” in the mouth will help put out the yogurt or a slice of lemon.
To make the dish with pepper less spicy, it is enough to remove the seeds and internal partitions from the fruit (these are the hottest parts). Some species of canaries are fed with cayenne pepper to give their feathers a more intense red color. From the hot peppers prepare the tincture to stimulate the appetite and digestion. In addition, pepper patches and pepper containing ointments are used to treat certain diseases. Scientists have proven the effectiveness of red pepper to fight cancer. Red pepper grows well at home – the plant often water and fertilize the flower mixture. Allspice is the dried berries of an evergreen tropical tree. The oil contained in these fruits is used to make perfumes, liquors and soaps.
