Species Name: Capsicum chinense Jacquin
Color: Green maturing to yellow-orange, orange or bright red
Average Size: 1 - 2 1/2" long, 1 - 2" diameter
Shape: Lantern-shaped, round or oblong, with a pointed apex
Description: Very distinctive flavor, highly aromatic
Scoville Heat Units: 200,000 - 300,000 (326,000 - Red Savina)
Substitute if Not Available: Scotch bonnet
Other Names: Congo, bonda man, Jacques, bonnie, ginnie, Guinea pepper, pimenta do chiero, siete caldos, Scotch Bonnet, pimienta do cheiro
Related Cultivars: Red Savina, chocolate habanero, yellow habanero, habanero rojo, Rica Red
Most Commonly Grown In: Yucatan, Costa Rica, Belize, California, Texas, Caribbean
Interesting Facts: Habanero, meaning 'from Havana', is a distinctive, extremely hot pepper believed to originally have been taken to the Yucatan Peninsula from Cuba. About 1,500 tons of habaneros are now harvested each year in the Yucatan. They are also grown to a lesser extent in Belize, Costa Rica, Texas and California (GNS Spices in Southern California has developed the Red Savina, which has been recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "world's hottest spice"). The habanero is not the same pepper as the scotch bonnet. They are of the same species but it is not a cultivar. The scotch bonnet has a much different shape which closely resembles a 'scot's bonnet', so it is quite easy to differentiate. The scotch bonnet grows mainly in the Caribbean islands while the habanero is Latin and North American. The flavor of the two, however, is very similar as is the heat level.
Most Common Uses: Table sauces, salsas, seasoning, jerk marinades, pickled