The Whole Chile Pepper Book

"The 'warm fuzzy' concept (a marketing expression for a 'cute' product that is popular because it stimulates several senses simultaneously) has caused chile peppers to be plastered over every product imaginable because the public loves everything about the chile pepper. Chile peppers appear to be a fad, but they are not. First, they have been around a long time in the human diet - since about 7500 B.C. Second, they have penetrated into most of the world's cuisines, and it is estimated that three-fourths of the world's population uses chile peppers as a regular part of their diet." (p. 315) The above excerpt from THE WHOLE CHILE PEPPER BOOK, which was published in 1990, tried to answer the question: Are Chile Peppers a Trend or just a Fad? Well, their argument that these fiery treats are a trend and won't go the way of the Hula Hoop or Edsel has proved to be correct. Just go down the aisle of any supermarket where international foods or condiments are shelved and you will see dozens of bottles of hot sauce, marinades, and salsas with heat levels ranging from mild to scorching. There seem to be new products popping up everywhere every day. But let me get back to the book... This is a well-researched and well-written reference/cookbook about the ubiquitous world of chile peppers. It contains interesting information about the many varieties of peppers (with 4 full pages of color photographs of peppers), historical tidbits of trivia (such as the birth of Tabasco Sauce and the American hot sauce industry in general), tips on growing your own chile peppers at home, and pepper recipes from around the world (e.g. New Mexico Green Chile Stew, Hungarian Chicken Paprikas, African Jollof Rice, as well as recipes from Mexico, India, Thailand, and China). I confess! I'm a Chilehead...and I love the taste and heat, though I do not like my hot sauce to be so hot it's of the Death by Capsaicin kind. Most chile pepper lovers do not want their tastebuds to be so burned that the flavor of the food is lost. O...I did learn that the hotter the pepper, the shorter the burning sensation. Though that's little relief when you bite into a Habanero measuring a hellishly hot 300,000 Scoville Units on the Heat Scale. The book does explain in plain English what Scoville Units are to help those of us who aren't scientifically minded understand how a chile pepper's heat level is measured. While I may be a tad biased, I highly recommend this book to chile pepper newbies and Chileheads alike. It's chock full of interesting info...and the recipes are good, too.

A total source book, everything one needs to know about chiles is here. Part science book, complete with botanical information, part history book with all the 411 on origins of the various chiles, but mostly a recipe book. The beauty of this book lies in the fact that exposure is given to the use of chile throughtout the world. Typically many think of the dishes of Mexico and it's southern neighbors as "hot" food, but this book shows the use of the chile in cuisines throughout the world. The interesting tidbits of information provided about how the chile came to be a part of the cuisine is most fascinating. Old world meets new world cuisines. Many of the recipes are tradional fares that can be found in other books but the truly exotic, different cuisine awaits those who have adventurous taste buds. In the mood for a little African soup? A simple enough recipe consisting mainly of peanut butter, chiles, chicken broth and the usual suspects of diced onions, carrots and oil and you're ready for a starter on your menu. An excellent book for someone looking to serve up some fiery worldly cuisine the book offers recipes on some of the most exotic dishes imagineable. A great book to be used over and over again, year after year, your friends will be impressed when you serve them up something yummy they have never tried before.

For the devoted pepper aficionado, this book is all business. The book provides scores of delectable recipes and informs the reader of what makes up the chili pepper. A history lesson or two is included at no extra cost. The recipe for habanero paste is outstanding, especially on my favorite local pizza. Relocation to Pittsburgh is required for the pizza, sorry. Warning, the purchase of this book results in a better diet and a truly wise pepper consumer. You will be the center of attention at parties and the opposite sex will flock toward you in droves. O.K., I'm exaggerating you may just experience the state of Zen

This book has it all--gorgeous color illustrations, great identification guides, super recipes and fascinating history!! The authors' sense of humor is evident throughout (anyone who likes the burn/flavor of chiles HAS to have a sense of humor), but the recipes are serious business. I highly recommend this publication,and am very glad to see it still in print after so many years! C Williams

The Cajun recipes are amazing, as well as the sauces. In fact, I have used many of the recipes and have not found a single one I haven't thought was really good. I'm giving this book as a gift because I'm tired of writing down the recipes for my friends. This book rates a triple YUM!