Getting chillie

"The most common way to test chile pungency is to taste the pod, this method, although quick and cost effective, may leave the tester in some pain."
Chile Pepper Institute, New Mexico State University.

"Woman Wins But Men Do Well."
Headline of The Daily Times Herald of Dallas, Texas describing the outcome of a chilli cook-off in 1952.

Indiscriminate lover, elephant repellant and arthritis cure. The chilli is certainly a versatile little fellow.
Containing more vitamin C per weight than citrus fruit, the chilli (and here I'm opting for the oz spelling, although depending on where your cultural heart lies you might go for chile, chili or chilly) are also extremely good for you.

Part of the solanaceae (nightshade) family, they’re related to potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. More specificlly, they're a member of the capiscum genus, which includes paprika, bell peppers and, of course, the common capsicum.

Chillies were officially discovered by Christopher Columbus during his exploration of the New World back in the late 1400s, although Mexican Indians were munching on them as early as 7000 BC.

By 1650, cultivation had spread from South America to Europe, Asia and Africa. Today, India is the world's largest producer of chillies and most of the dried chilli finding its way into Australia is from this source.

The chilli is the undisputed tart of the vegetable world, dropping its pollen for anyone within the genus and in the process producing so many hybrids that, today, there are well over 200 varieties on the market as well as any number of as-yet unclassified types.

Add to this the complication of regional nomenclature and the way some chillies change their name when dried (the chipotle is a dried red jalapeno; the ancho a dried poblano) and you have yourself a right old dog's breakfast.

Not that dogs actually eat chillies. They, like other mammals, are repelled by capsaicin - the chemical which gives chilli its distinctive hot, peppery taste.

Interestingly, birds lack the pain receptors necessary to 'feel' capsaicin and consequently eat chillies quite happily, distributing the seeds in their faeces far and wide just as clever old nature intended.

For many years, the only chillies available at the local supermarket were long reds or long greens - generic names for a range of biggish, relatively mild chillies which you still see sold loose at supermarkets.

Fortunately, though, most chains are following the trend set by Perth's specialty fresh produce outlets and now offer a range of loose and pre-packed chillies along with consumer information on variety and heat level.

The amount of heat in a chilli is measured in two ways. The Scoville test involves diluting a sample of chilli with water until the heat can no longer be detected by the taster. This dilution ratio is called the Scoville Heat Unit.

The most accurate method for measuring a chilli's pungency is HPLC, or High Performance Liquid Chromatography. For this procedure, chilli pods are dried then ground and the capsaicin is extracted and analysed. Either way, you end up with a heat rating which is most usefully converted to a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the hottest.

Most of Australia's chillies are grown in Queensland, although one of WA's largest distributors, Brent Mews of Brejuls Herbs (the company is named after Brent and his wife, Julie) says he sources 90% of his chillies from farms around WA including Carnarvon, Geraldton, Gingin, Wanneroo, Pinjarra and a few in the South West.

Chillies grown in WA and available fresh from retail outlets around Perth (with heat ratings given in brackets) include the big, mild chillies sold loose in supermarkets - usually caysan, laser or anaheim (3-4); the ball or cherry chilli (6); jalapeno (5-8); birds eye (9) and the oh-so fiery habanero, which is rated at 10+ and, depending on its ancestry, ripens to red, orange, yellow or chocolate brown.

Given the changes wrought by climate and growing conditions - the hotter the climate, the hotter the chilli - these ratings are, at best, approximate.

As a general buying guide, chillies in their green, unripe state are milder than when fully ripe - which is not to say all green chillies are mild, but that within a variety you can usually bank on the green being milder than the red.

Despite our preoccupation with their heat-giving properties, chillies also contribute considerable flavour. Fresh green chillies add acidic, capsicum-like top notes and distinct surface heat while red chillies tend to have a more rounded flavour and a more developed heat.

Even greater variation in flavour is found in the dried varieties, which offer a full-bodied, fruity, raisin-like sweetness and varying degrees of tobacco and smokiness.

Ian Hemphill is a second generation herb grower and the owner of Herbie's Herbs, which sells the largest range of herbs and spices in Australia. In Spice Notes (Macmillan, $35.90) - his definitive guide to growing, buying and using herbs and spices - Ian has this to say about dried chillies:

"The flavour of dry chilli is quite different to fresh, in the same way as a sun-dried tomato has a different taste to a fresh one. Upon drying, caramelisation of the sugars...creates more complex flavours." Ian has a big range of dried chillies for sale, all available by mail order via the Herbie's website - www.herbies.com.au.

The world of the dried chilli is just as fraught with ambiguity as its fresh counterpart. Take cayenne pepper, for instance. There is such a beast as the cayenne chilli – they're grown extensively in Queensland – but the cayenne pepper sold by companies like Masterfoods and Spencers (two of the main players in the retail dried spice game) is actually a blend of various chillies and may contain no cayenne at all.

As the spice buyer from Masterfoods explained, the heat level's the thing. "We want to make sure our customers can buy a jar of cayenne powder time after time and always get the same level of heat."

The story is similar for chilli powder or ground chilli which, again, is usually blended from a variety of chillies aimed at achieving a certain level of heat.

Traditionally, cayenne pepper is the hotter of the two - in the Spencers range, the ground chilli rates a 6 and the cayenne pepper an 8; at Masterfoods, the cayenne is almost twice as hot as their chilli powder.

Chilli flakes and crushed chilli usually average out at around the same heat rating as chilli powder, but offer slightly more in the flavour department as well as an aesthetically different experience via the inclusion of seeds and larger pieces of chilli.

The heat of a chilli comes not from its seeds but from the fibrous, pith-like membranes which surround them - officially called the placental tissue. These membranes contain the capsaicin glands, and while the seeds themselves do not produce any capsaicin, they do absorb some from the surrounding tissue - particularly during the drying and crushing process.

My own tests with a mild long red proved this point: the seeds and flesh really did hold no heat to speak of, while the fibrous membrane was extremely hot. (Many of the chefs I know still reckon scraping out the seeds of a chilli reduces its heat. I can only postulate this works because the scraping-out process also rids the pepper of its capsaicin-rich membranes.)

Many people steer clear of wine when eating chilli-based dishes, but several wine varieties work really well. The drier style of Gewurtztraminer stands up to chilli heat, as does unwooded chardonnay and any youthful, aromatic riesling. When it comes to reds, I'd opt for one of the fruitier pinot noirs or a grenache. Zinfandel, too, is good with chilli, its juicy, cherry-like flavours marrying perfecting with spicy food.

When it comes to the preparation of really hot chillies, take a leaf out of the professional chef's book by wearing plastic gloves and removing the seed debris under running water.

If you do get chilli burn, the best way to ease the sensation is to eat dairy products or something containing sugar. Yoghurt and milk both work well as does a solution of water and sugar, but don't be tempted to drink just water - it will only intensify the sensation of heat.

If you get a chilli burn on your skin, try soaking it in milk - this seems to alleviate the burning. If you're unfortunate enough to get chilli in your eyes, the only thing to do is repeatedly rinse with water or saline.