Habanero Chile

Thought to have originated in Cuba habanero peppers are very popular throughout South America and the Caribbean. These cheerfully bright-orange lantern-shaped chilies are not for the faint of heart delivering a powerfully crisp heat with a hint of fruity fragrance that's quite distinct. Habanero is a key ingredient in Jamaican Jerk seasoning and it will push any salsa or barbeque sauce to a three-alarm status without much effort. Wearing gloves when handling this chile is sound advice.

Habaneros are sometimes called - Congo, Bahama Mama, Jamaican hots, and Uxmal. A smaller version of this chile is the Scotch Bonnet, which packs a similar wallop of heat.

Scoville units - 100,000-350,000.

See the Chile Pepper entry for general information about chiles.